Yusuke or Yume?
by Black Kitsune Veela
Summary: Yusuke's become a girl, and the whole adventure has started over. But will romance get in the way of the mission that has been set in front of her? And with all the men falling for her, which will she choose? And can she survive all of her tasks?
1. Rebirth One: Outputs and Corrections

Hey everyone, this is an idea I've had in my head for a long time and I decided to start writing it. Please bear with me, I'm writing this as I go. But, I've got the first few chapters written already, so it shouldn't take me all that long to update.

Chapter One: Secrets We Keep

Rekai

Koenma was worried. Sure, it didn't take much to make him worried, but he had good reason to be. Something was about to happen to Yusuke. Something that could change the fate of the whole world.

_Yusuke knows what's happening, _Koenma thought. _But unfortunately not even my father could do anything to stop it. Damn it. This is coming too soon. I have no choice. _

"Botan!"

The bubbly ferry girl floated in, big smile in place. "Yes, Koenma sir?"

"I need you to go and get Yusuke and the others. It's urgent and it concerns Yusuke."

Botan's lavender eyes blinked in confusion, but she summoned her oar and flew off to do as she was bid.

Ningenkai 

Yusuke looked out Kurama's bedroom window, silent for once. _I can't believe this. What will the others think? I mean, they're my friends, and the best ones I could ever ask for, but still, I've been lying to them for the past four years. _

(All the Rekai Tantei's are eighteen right now. Wait…Kuwabara and Yusuke are eighteen, Kurama and Hiei are twenty in human terms. They met when Yusuke and Kuwabara were fourteen, Kurama and Hiei sixteen.)

"Yusuke?" Kurama's quiet and concerned voice rang in Yusuke's ears.

"Yeah?"

"What's the matter? I mean, we're having a study session and you've been unnaturally quiet throughout the whole evening. Not a single complaint."

Yusuke sighed. _No need to make him start worrying. _"I'm fine, Kurama. I'm just a little tired, is all."

Kuwabara and Hiei sat a few feet away from them, listening in to their conversation.

"What do you think is wrong with Urameshi?" Kuwabara asked the shorter man.

"Hn. Damned if I know what's going on in the detective's head." On the outside, he was uncaring, but on the inside, he was worried for his friend.

Botan popped in. "Hello, everyone!"

Everyone, excluding Hiei, jumped.

Yusuke's eyebrow twitched. "Damn it, Botan! Why do you have to keep popping in like that!? You're gonna give me a heart attack!"

Botan shrugged. "Listen, Koenma needs me to bring all of you to Rekai. Apparently he wants to discuss something urgent regarding Yusuke."

Yusuke's expression hardened at this… "Well, let's go."

Kurama blinked in confusion. "Yusuke…you are going to Rekai without putting up a fuss?"

Yusuke shrugged. "Yeah…besides, I know what this is about. And I'll really need to be there. You guys won't believe Koenma otherwise."

With that, Yusuke walked through the portal and into Rekai, the others following him.

Koenma, in teenage form, sat behind his desk, a glowing purple orb in front of him like a crystal ball.

"Afternoon. I wish I had time for idle chatter, but let's get straight to business. Yusuke, please start."

The chocolate-eyed teen looked at the floor. "Everyone…you might hate me forever when you hear all this…but, Yusuke Urameshi…has never really existed."

Everyone's eyes widened. "What are you talking about, Yusuke?" Kurama asked, concerned for his friend.

"Let me finish…I'm not real. Yusuke isn't real. I'm just the output of a Rekai mistake."

He paused, and Koenma cleared his throat, giving the teen a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Yusuke, please elaborate for them."

"When I was born…I died…and Rekai brought me back to life because they could see a lot of things happening in my future. And that I'd be a valuable asset to Rekai's war against Makai. And…when they brought me back to life they…made a mistake…"

"What was…the mistake, Yusuke?" Dread was now filling Kurama's heart. Maybe this was why Yusuke's scent had been altering itself lately.

"You see…Well, maybe it would be best if I could show you." Yusuke picked up the purple orb. "In here is my true soul…the soul that was taken from me when I was a baby and was brought back to life." Yusuke's eyes darkened and the purple light overtook him.

The light enshrouded the whole room, and prevented anyone from seeing what was happening to their friend/leader.

After a few seconds, a thud was heard, and the light cleared to show Yusuke on his knees, staring at the floor.

"Yusuke…stand up." Koenma ordered.

Albeit reluctantly, Yusuke rose to his feet, head still down.

Hiei noticed something different about his friend. His hair was slightly longer. And…he was about Hiei's height now. His clothes, that used to fit his form perfectly, were now slightly baggy and loose.

"Yusuke, look at them and let them see what's happened."

Yusuke paused. "Do I have to?"

The voice shocked everyone but Koenma and Botan.

It was…higher, more girl-like. And it was scary that it was coming from Yusuke.

"Yusuke…are you al…." Kurama's eyes widened and he stopped in mid-sentence.

Yusuke straightened up and removed his jacket.

Yusuke's eyes…the lashes were longer and they were slightly larger now…the color of warm chocolate was more vibrant and lively like in most girl's…eyes…WTF!?

"Yusuke…you look like…a…" Kurama trailed off.

"A girl?"

"Yes…"

"That's because I am one."

Pause of total silence.

"WHAT!?" Not even Hiei could hold back his yell.

Yusuke flinched away from them, and hid behind Koenma.

"Why is Urameshi hiding behind Koenma?" Kuwabara asked.

"I don't know…that's not a very Yusuke-ish thing to do."

"That's because she's not Yusuke anymore, you fools." (Guess who?)

Koenma glanced behind his back, seeing Yusuke look up at him through big, shiny brown eyes that made his heart melt. Her fist was near her bottom lip, and she looked scared as she held onto his cape with one fist, but…she looked so cute!

"Yusuke, please face the others."

She buried her face into his back and shook her head furiously.

"Yusuke…" a dangerous ring joined Koenma's deep voice, and Yusuke forced herself to walk out from behind Koenma and allow the others to see her fully.

Kurama very near blushed. Keyword being near.

If he thought Yusuke had made a very handsome boy, he was ten times more beautiful as a girl.

Yusuke's hair was the same length as always, but fell into her eyes in a careless way without the hair gel. The eyes were the same beautiful brown shade of chocolate, but were larger and had a more girl-ish sparkle to them with long, thick, black lashes surrounding them. Her skin was the same natural tan color, and slight muscles could be seen under her smooth as porcelain-looking skin. She was now Hiei's height when she had previously come up to Kurama's nose. The new body was nothing to sneeze at either.

"Whoa, Urameshi…you make one hot chick." Kuwabara said, sounding even stupider than usual. (Is that even possible?)

Yusuke's eyebrow twitched. "Kuwabara…do me a favor and shut your face!" she punched him and sent him flying through the wall. "Phew. I feel better." A smile lit up her face, and any bad feelings in the room seemed to go away.

Kurama came forward and Yusuke stood her ground.

The fox paused in front of her, then walked past her. Suddenly, he aimed a punch her way. She ducked, grabbed the fist, and flipped him over her head. Kurama grabbed her when she flipped him and when he landed on his back on the floor, she landed on top of him. But…her breasts were in his face.

"Mmmph…gerf erf." (Uhhh…get off.)

Yusuke blinked, and hurried off, but slapped him straight across the face as she sat on his stomach.

"Itei! What was that for!?"

"Pervert! Sneaking that punch on me and then grabbing me…"

"I didn't mean for your chest to land on my face!" Kurama's feathers, if he had any, seemed ruffled. He wasn't used to girls yelling at him like this. Even though the girl just happened to be his best friend turned female.

"Yeah right, whatever fox-face!"

"I told you, stop calling me fox-face!"

"Why not? You look like a fox to me." She winked, then got off of him fully after smacking him gently upside the head.

At this, unintentionally, Kurama blushed. _Did she just say what I think she said? No, she couldn't have. Sure, Yusuke's now become a girl…but, still…it's Yusuke. _

Hiei's eyes were slightly wider than usual, showing surprise for once. _Did Yusuke…just flirt with Kurama?_

(If any of you are wondering, Kurama did that to test Yusuke's skills while he's a girl. His powers are the same, but his speed has increased with being a girl, seeing as how girls can usually go faster than boys.)

A/N: Well, that's it so far. Tell me if you like it, hate it, or just want me to update as fast as my now-aching fingers can. Review! Oh yeah, and there will be a pairing for this. But you'll have to vote on it.

Vote on:

Kurama/Yusuke

Hiei/Yusuke

Koenma/Yusuke.

And I mean FEMALE Yusuke!


	2. Rebirth Two: Setting the Record Straight

Yo! Here's the next chapter of Yusuke or Yume?. Hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter Two: Restarting the Life of 'Yume'

Koenma cleared his throat. "Everyone, in light of the recent… 'events'… my father and I have come to a conclusion."

"Just spit it out, toddler." Yusuke said boredly.

"Very well Yusuke. And I'm not a toddler. My father and I agree that Yusuke revealing himself as a female will arise too many questions in the other worlds. And so, we've decided to do the one thing that we've been fighting against for a long time."

"And what would that be, Koenma?" asked Botan.

"We are going to go back to the beginning."

Botan almost fainted. "But, Koenma-sir…if you do that…won't we have to do everything over again?"

"Yes, Botan. The stolen Artifacts of Darkness, Yusuke's death and rebirth, the Saint Beasts, the Tournament, even Sensui. We will have to relive everything."

"But, we'll all have our memories, right? We'll know what's going to happen, right?" asked Kuwabara, slightly scared.

"I'm sorry to say Kuwabara, that the only people who will know of the change will be Kurama, Hiei, Botan, and myself. No one else will know of it. Everyone in Ningenkai will believe Yusuke to be 'Yume Urameshi', born as a girl, and maybe even given a new personality. We can't be sure, this has only been done once before. We hoped to never have to do it again."

"But why Kurama and Hiei? Why are they able to remember?" asked Yusuke. "Why can't I remember too?"

"Because, Kurama and Hiei are very strong demons that will have to help you in your quests. We can't have their memories erased. They are too vital. And as for you keeping your memories, Yusuke…we just can't have that. You will still die, be brought back to life, and go through everything you went through before. We just hope that your new mind will be able to handle it. We can only hope." Koenma turned his back on them. "Now, you are all dismissed."

Yusuke opened her mouth to protest, but Kurama laid a hand on her shoulder, silencing her.

She left the room without a word, but a very resilient slam of the door proved her anger's worth.

Koenma turned his attention to the two demons in front of him. "It will take place tonight. Be ready to relive the day Yusuke died in the morning."

"Yes, Koenma." Kurama bowed, and left.

"Hn."

"Oh, and you two will be returned to your sixteen-year-old selves by morning as well. We can't have two sixteen-year-olds that are supposed to be twenty running around looking like it, now can we? Have a nice night, and I'll see you in a few days."

The two left, and Koenma placed his head in his hands. 'This is going to be one long extra four years.'

A/N: Hey! That's it for now, but I'll update more later today, I promise! And yes, I'll be writing up different versions of the original YYH storyline, but with a few twists. Hey, with Yusuke being a girl, don't you think there would be twists? Oh, and don't forget to vote on who 'Yume' ends up with! Hiei, Kurama, Koenma…or any other person. I'm open to anything!


	3. Rebirth Three: Lost but not Forgotten

Hey! Here's Ch. 3! Well, I'd just like to thank the following reviewers!

Hyperdude

AquaAngel

Ryukotsusei

Yusuke or Yume: Chapter Three: Yume's Life, Wasted but not Forgotten

'Saryashiki Junior High…what a perfect little niche of Hell.'

These thoughts came from a certain punk-girl who was currently sitting on the top level of her school, cursing everything that was shitty in her life.

If anyone gave her a second glance, they would see past the punk-exterior and see the girl within.

Waist-length hair in a messy French braid with a green tint to it, but appearing ebony. Cinnamon-brown eyes with red tints and gold flecks hidden here and there, sparking when she felt strongly about something.

Her baggy clothes, a black t-shirt and knee-length skirt of the same shade, accenting her cinnamon-colored skin, hiding her perfect curves and her D-34 size bust.

She had bound her chest since she received them, hating the fact that she was female.

'Saiyume Ariashika Urameshi…what kind of name is that? God, my 'mom' has to be the stupidest person on Earth!'

The door next to her suddenly opened and out stepped her 'best friend' Keiko Yukimura.

"Hey, Keiko! Nice skirt!"

"Oh, shut up, Saiyume! All the girls have to wear these! And I notice you're wearing black AGAIN! The girls, which may I remind you you are one, are supposed to wear BLUE!"

Yume groaned. "Oh please, I look so much better in black! And will you stop grilling me? It gets really annoying! God!" Yume stood up abruptly, and stalked off the school premises, ignoring the yells she received from Keiko, Mr. Takenaka, and Mr. Iwamoto.

'Damn school, damn teachers, and damn every damned person on this god-be-damned earth! Why do I even bother! I'd be better off dead!'

She bumped into someone, sending her to the ground on her ass. "Hey! Walking requires pullin' yer head outta yer ass, assho-"

She paused. 'Damn.' She got an eyeful of the person before her.

Long, red hair that was silky and perfect, creamy skin, and deep emerald eyes and was wearing a pink/magenta uniform. 'Hunh, must be from Meiou. Shouldn't he be in school?'

"Whoops, I am terribly sorry ma'am." The boy helped her up. "I hope I didn't hurt you. It would seem that we were both lost in thought." He smiled at her.

"Uh…yeah." 'Did he completely forget that I just called him an 'asshole'?'

"Well, have a nice day Ms. Urameshi." He walked off, crossing the street.

'How did he know my name? I didn't give it to him! I guess my reputation as the most Bad-ass girl in town has spread. Oh whatever.' She sighed and walked down the street, up to her apartment.

Her 'mother' lay in front of the TV, still in her PJ's. "What are you doing home?"

"School sucked."

"If you're never going to go you might as well quit and get yourself a job. School isn't free, y'know. Make me some coffee."

"What a mother. I hate going to school! All anyone ever wants to do is give me their stupid lectures and put me down."

"Honey, if you don't want to listen to lectures you should get a job and live on your own. But you can't do that, now can you?"

"Are you going to give me a lecture too, Mom? While you're still in your pajamas? Aw, damn it all to Hell, I'm leaving!"

Yume stalked out of the house, really ticked off.

Suddenly about three guys surrounded her on the empty shop-lined street.

"Urameshi…" an ugly boy with orange Elvis-style hair and beady brown eyes came out and faced her.

"Hey, Kuwabara. You're conscious…I'm not used to that." She smirked.

"Hey! That was a cheap shot last time and I was only knocked out for a little while! I don't care if you're a damned girl or not! This time I'm gonna mess your face up so bad even kittens won't look at you!" Kuwabara lunged at her, but she side-stepped, then kicked him in the stomach, her knee connecting with his diaphragm.

Kuwabara fell to the ground, only to have Yume grab the front of his uniform and look him straight in the eyes. "It's too bad you caught me on such a bad day. It makes me a real jerk!"

She then proceeded to beat the holy-living-shit out of the monkey-boy.

Yume walked away, humming to herself. 'I feel so much better!'

A small yellow ball stopped in front of her foot.

A little boy came over and picked it up. "Sorry, lady."

"Listen, kid. You shouldn't be playing near the road. There are cars going by that could splatter you into the pavement!" She didn't know why, but she loved little kids…they brought out the best in her. The maternal instincts…damn them to hell.

"Hm?"

Yume ended up spending the next half-hour playing with him in a nearby park.

When she left, she sighed. 'Kids…I miss being that age. I didn't have to deal with the teachers as much. They left me alone at that age.'

Yume ignored the looks she was receiving.

Whispers surrounded her.

_Shouldn't that girl be in school? _

_That's that Urameshi girl. She's big trouble. _

_Don't look at her, Shiri. Her bad attitude might be contagious. _

_I heard she's been to jail fifty times since she was ten and she committed crimes bad enough to earn the death sentence, but she lived. _

Yume bit back a surge of tears as she hurried her walk.

She looked over across the street and saw the same little boy playing with his ball next to the street. 'Stupid kids never listen. Ah, well, he can get run over for all I care.'

She watched as the little yellow ball rolled into the middle of the lane. The little boy ran out to retrieve it.

A swerving car was coming his way.

Yume's eyes widened. "Watch out kid!" She ran across the road, and pushed the little kid out of the way.

She sat in a kneeling position, but her head turned as the car sped towards her.

Her eyes widened, her mouth open in shock and fear.

A scream was torn out of her throat as the car slammed straight into her, the hot metal burning part of her skin.

She toppled to the hot asphalt, the car having squealed to a stop just as it hit her.

The car backed up in a hurry, and the driver ran out to check on her.

Pain was exploding all over her body. Everything around her was going dark.

Her brown eyes were half-lidded, and she looked at the crowd around her.

The last thing she saw were a familiar pair of emerald green eyes looking at her sadly…like their heart had been torn out and shredded.

Kurama looked down at what used to be his best friend, Hiei beside him.

Blood was pooling under her head, chest and legs.

The medics came, sirens screaming. They checked her out.

Apparently her leg bones were shattered, as were her arms…one of her rib bones had been snapped out of place and had impaled her heart. Her head had been hit on the way to the ground.

No pulse reigned over her body…

Saiyume Ariashika Urameshi was dead.

"The never-ending cycle of life and death is about to begin." Kurama muttered.


	4. Rebirth Four: Ordeals of Life and Death

Hey! You all remember the votes, right?

Well here's the current scores!

Koenma: III

Hiei: IIII

Kurama: I

Whoa, Hiei's winning? Keep it up! And don't forget to vote, people! Oh, and you can vote more than once. I don't care which pairing it ends up with. (Just don't even TRY saying Kuwabara!) Oh, and if you want her to end up with someone in the Dark Tournament, don't be afraid to say anything! I'm open to ANYTHING!

Chapter Four: The Ordeal of Life and Death

Darkness…it was cold. She shivered. Her sweater wasn't providing any warmth. For some reason she felt like she was floating…she was floating? Why was it so cold? Wasn't it just fall? Why would if be so cold?

All around her was dark…but maybe that was because she had her eyes closed.

_Damn it. Kuwabaka's stupidity is rubbin' off on me. What happened? Where am I? Why can't I feel the ground? _

Yume groaned and opened her eyes…was it just her or was she floating in the air?

"Gackt!" Yume floundered around for a second, but managed to get from being upside down, her skirt up around her hips.

Yume hurriedly fixed her skirt, smoothing out the wrinkles.

"What is going on? Where am I? And why am I up above the city?"

Yume looked down at the ground.

A group of people had gathered around a car, a bunch of medics rushing this way and that.

A single figure, black and red, lay on the ground.

The legs were partly crossed over each other, the person lying on their side, the left arm was laying across their side, while the other was bent at an odd angle near their head.

But the outfit and skin and hair stood out… "Hey, that's me!"

"But if I'm up here…then how can I be down there?"

A sudden flash of images crossed her mind.

_She watched as the little yellow ball rolled into the middle of the lane. The little boy ran out to retrieve it. _

_A swerving car was coming his way. _

_Yume's eyes widened. "Watch out kid!" She ran across the road, and pushed the little kid out of the way. _

_She sat in a kneeling position, but her head turned as the car sped towards her. _

_Her eyes widened, her mouth open in shock and fear. _

_A scream was torn out of her throat as the car slammed straight into her, the hot metal burning part of her skin. _

_She toppled to the hot asphalt, the car having squealed to a stop just as it hit her. _

_The car backed up in a hurry, and the driver ran out to check on her. _

_Pain was exploding all over her body. Everything around her was going dark. _

_Her brown eyes were half-lidded, and she looked at the crowd around her. _

_The last thing she saw were a familiar pair of emerald green eyes looking at her sadly…like their heart had been torn out and shredded. _

_Blood was pooling under her head, chest and legs. _

_The medics came, sirens screaming. They checked her out. _

_Apparently her leg bones were shattered, as were her arms…one of her rib bones had been snapped out of place and had impaled her heart. Her head had been hit on the way to the ground. _

_No pulse reigned over her body…_

"So…that's it? I'm roadkill?" Yume looked up at the blue sky. "I've turned into a ghost?"

"Bingo! Bingo, you win the prize!"

Yume jumped, and turned around.

There, floating in the air, was a girl no older than Yume herself.

"Who are you!"

"Botan's the name, the Pilot of the River Styx, I take care of people like you. I believe in your culture they call me the Grim Reaper, ring a bell?" She chirped.

_Damn it, I hate overly-happy people!_ "Okay, there is something wrong with this picture. The Grim Reaper is supposed to be tall, scary, and wear a big black cloak with the body of a skeleton!"

"Oh now I understand what kind of person you are, it's here in my guide book." Botan pulled out a small book. "Instead of getting angry or frustrated, you yell at me and tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. Let me see…Yume Urameshi…loud-mouthed, arrogant, has no regard for rules and is a poor student. Wow, things weren't looking up for you, were they?"

"Shut up! Like I care!"

"Hey…"

"What?"

"Would you like to go see that boy?"

"What boy?"

"The one you saved?"

A ghost of a smile graced Yume's face. "Sure."

Yume watched a doctor check the little guy over. "He's really okay. Great thing too. Okay now Botan. I got no regrets, so just send me to Heaven or Hell…wherever."

"Well, actually Yume…we haven't cleared a spot for you yet. We hadn't planned for you to die today. You threw us all for a loop!"

"So what are you saying, that that little boy was going to die!"

"Actually, the car would have swerved to the left and the boy would have escaped with a scraped elbow from falling down. So in short you're death was a total waste!"

Yume face-faulted, but DAMN was she angry.

"Calm down, calm down! Listen, all you need to do is go through this itty-bitty little ordeal and you can have your life back. Sound good?"

"Huh? You guys are gonna try to give me my life back?" Yume looked out at the city, cinnamon eyes clouded over with thought. "No thanks."

"Huh?" Botan blinked her bubble-gum lavender eyes.

"I kinda like being dead. I don't have to put up with anybody, and the teachers can finally rest their traps from yelling at me. Everyone will be better off. My life sucked anyway, just like you said. So why would I wanna go back? My mom is still pretty damn young, so maybe now she can find herself a decent boyfriend."

Botan sighed. "So cynical at such a young age. Well." She boarded her oar. "I'll let you attend your wake and then think it over. I'll be back when you've decided." She flew off.

"Do you have worms in your ears lady!" Yume yelled after her. "I DID DECIDE!"


	5. Rebirth Fiver: Egg Ordeals

Yusuke or Yume Chapter Five: The Ordeal…What's with the Egg?

Yume groaned, looking at the sky where the blue-haired deity had previously disappeared into.

"Man! Why am I always stuck with stuff I hate! I decided already…well, it's almost nightfall…guess I'd better just go see about my wake. Whaddaya wanna bet no one came?"

With that, Yume started to get the hang of flying/floating. Sure, wind shear hit her a few times, and yes, she could get hit by wind shear. (Aka, wind that blows you in the opposite direction.)

She floated above her house/apartment building, only to find it very busy with people in uniforms and suits.

"Whoa…my classmates." Her anger spiked as she saw some of them laughing.

"Damn it! Even at my wake they laugh at me!"

A sudden cry reached her ears.

It was Keiko. She was bawling. "Yume! No! Yume! It can't be true! You promised we'd go to college together, then we'd get a double wedding! And…we'd always be together! You jerk! You can't die!"

"Is she making all that noise for me?" Yume's eyes started to well up with tears. "I'm sorry…Keiko."

"Kuwabara! Calm down!"

"Hm?" Yume turned to look down the street, only to see Kuwabara and his three friends.

Kuwabara was yelling something, and his friends were holding him back.

"Urameshi! You can't be dead! Get out of that box! Stop acting! Get outta there and fight me, you punk!" He slowly reached the coffin that held her body. "You punk! Turning punk…are you running away? Who am I gonna fight! Who am I…gonna fight…" Kuwabara started crying as his friends dragged him away.

"He was…crying?"

A sudden, annoying voice rang through her ears.

"Who was that?" It was Mr. Akashi, one of Yume's asshole teachers.

"One of the thugs Urameshi used to hang out with." Said Iwamoto, another of Yume's teachers that loved to get her into trouble and found any reason to beat her. Course, she always hit back just as hard. Didn't matter that he was a teacher. You hit Yume Urameshi, she hits back ten times as hard.

"Well, only in death did Yume do something to give our school a good reputation." Muttered Iwamoto.

"I agree. I bet that she didn't even save that boy, she probably pushed him down trying to get his lunch money." Akashi squealed in his high-pitched voice that always made Yume want to castrate him.

"I couldn't agree more, Mr. Akashi."

Yume's anger flared, and she tried to punch Iwamoto, but someone's hand caught the back of his suit jacket.

"Which do you think is more disgraceful? That boy weeping over his lost friend, or your insensitive words?" yelled Mr. Takanaka, the one teacher that ever tried to understand her.

"Takanaka." Yume whispered.

Mr. Takanaka went into her house, bowed before her mother, who was sitting silently against the wall, looking at her knees.

He then turned and looked at a picture hanging above her coffin.

It was a recently-taken picture that Keiko had taken without her permission.

It had her in a store, wearing a dress that Keiko had forced her into. She had a peaceful look on her face for once, looking at herself in the mirror. The dress was long and went to her ankles, but revealed her arms in its off-the-shoulder sleeves.

The dress was black with green ribbons, and it made her look beautiful as she smiled at her reflection.

The picture brought tears to Takanaka's eyes. "Yume…I know you can hear me. I was so surprised to find that you had died saving that little boy. I don't know why I don't feel like speaking well of you…" the proud principle broke down in tears. "Why didn't you stay? You were so brilliant when you put your mind to it. You could have made something great of yourself…"

As Takanaka continued to cry, Yume stood there in the room, looking at her mother.

"This way, dear."

"Yes, mommy."

Yume turned to see the little boy she had saved in the doorway with his mother.

The two bowed to Yume's mother like all the others did, and turned to Yume's picture, heads bowed in prayer.

The boys' mother turned to him. "Now you should say something to honor him." She turned to talk to Yume's mother.

The little boy smiled at the picture. "Thank you for saving me, playing ball with me, and making funny faces! You are a really great lady! I wanna be just like you when I grow up! You're so strong!"

Yume almost started to cry at the admiration in the little boys' voice.

A sudden sniffle turned her attention to her mother.

"Yume…" she whimpered, then started to sob, shoulders shaking as she buried her face into her knees in mourning for her only daughter.

Yume left after this, not wanting to see her mother cry.

She merely sat in the sky, legs crossed, her arms behind her head, trying not to cry as she looked up at the bright full moon, yet, a tear escaped and fell down her face.

Botan appeared beside her. "So…have you decided?"

"Botan…when you die, everyone close to you is affected, right?"

"Yes. That is usually the case."

Yume became immersed in the thick blanket of silence as she thought. "Botan?"

"Yes?"

"I think I'd like my life back."

"Great! Hold on!" she started flying off, Yume barely clinging to the end of her oar.

"Where are we going?"

"Spirit World, silly! You need to see Koenma to get your Ordeal, remember?"

Yume blinked. "Ordeal? That's how I'm getting my life back, right?"

"Bingo! Now, hold on tight!" she sped up.

Yume held on for dear life. Or…for dear death…whatever!

After nearly half an hour of holding on to an oar and flying through cold clouds, Yume was getting annoyed.

"Botan! When are we going to get there?"

"We're here!" she stopped in front of a huge gate.

"This…is Spirit World?" she stared at the great palace in front of her. "Whoa…"

Botan pressed a button.

"Yes?"

"Botan here, bringing the dead Urameshi for her Ordeal!" she chirped.

Yume's eyebrow twitched. _Why is she always so damn happy?_

The doors opened.

Yume was starting to get nervous as they were presented with a long, dark hallway.

_Okay, Yume, calm down. This is only an Ordeal…you've been through worse. Just deal with this…you'll get through it. _

A large door opened, revealing a brightly-lit room. Yume looked around.

Botan bowed. "Koenma-sir, I have brought Yume Urameshi."

"Where is he?" Yume asked.

"Ahem…down here."

Yume looked down to see an adorable toddler.

Her eyes brightened up. "Oh! You are so adorable!" she picked him up, hugging him tightly.

**:Koenma's POV: (Not in first person.) **

Koenma sat in his office when he heard Botan open his door, saying something about bringing Yume to him.

_Time to face 'Yusuke.'_

He jumped down from his chair and looked Yume Urameshi over.

Well, she certainly was very pretty.

"Where is he?" he heard her ask.

"Ahem…" Koenma cleared his throat. "I'm down here."

Yume looked down at him with those cinnamon eyes, and they widened in shock.

_Here come the toddler comments. _But nothing could prepare him for what was about to happen.

"Oh! You are so adorable!" The former Spirit Detective picked him up in her surprisingly soft hands and hugged him, his head over her shoulder.

She was holding him like he was a baby!

To say Koenma was shocked would be an understatement. Here was the person who had previously made fun of him and called him Toddler constantly and an ugly baby, saying he was adorable.

Yume turned to Botan, still holding Koenma. "So, where's that Koenma guy."

Botan was shocked. She hadn't expected Yume's attitude to have changed so drastically just by becoming a girl.

"Uh…Yume…You're hugging him."

"Really?" she pulled him off of her and looked at her, holding him under his arms. "Well…that's unexpected. But you're so cute!" She hugged him one more time, then sat him down on his chair. "Now," she sat in the air. "What's the Ordeal I gotta go through?"

She sat down and waited for Koenma to give her the Ordeal.

Koenma cleared his throat. "Yes." He pulled out a golden egg.

"What's with the egg?"

"This is your Ordeal. Inside of this egg is the embryo of a Spirit Beast. You need to hatch it."

"What? Do I sit on it like a chicken?"

"No. It feeds off your energy and emotions. After it has gathered enough energy, it will hatch. If you give it good energy, then it will hatch and bring you back to life. But if you use bad, then a monster will appear and devour you. The choice is yours. Here."

He placed the egg in her hands. She looked at it.

_Okay…this is about a 9.5 on my Weird Shit-o-meter. Hopefully this'll turn out right. _

There! There's the chapter for now! Hope you review and remember, the voting for pairings is still going on! You can vote more than once, remember that! Oh, and I'll also be taking suggestions for other pairings. If you want her to fall for a person in the Dark Tournament, then you can tell me what you think and I'll try my best.


	6. Mission 1: Gouki and the Orb of Baast

Hey! Oh, first off, I need to announce the SO FAR progress of the votings. Now, I didn't just use votes from reviews, these are also my views, my friends, and other people. So, if these don't add up in your mind, then…that would be the reason.

Kurama: 14

Hiei: 17

Koenma: 2

Jin: 12

Voting will be going on further for a few more chapters, but it will end soon. So, vote while you can. And, no, constantly repeating your vote in a review will not count extra. Sorry.

IMPORTANT NOTE!

Okay, I know that there were a lot of things in the series about the whole 'Keiko and Yusuke' thing, but that's not the deal in here. So, I'm just skipping to where Yume is back and alive. Sorry, I'm just gonna skip through the episodes of: A Promise Between Men, and Yusuke's back. So, I will be most definitely be skipping around the whole thing of 'Requirements for Lovers.' Kay? Kay.

Yusuke or Yume: Chapter Six: Three Monsters, Yume's First Case

:Human World:

Yume yawned as she sat up in bed.

Everything was normal.

Her mother was conked out in front of the TV, the house was a mess, Yume was late for school…yep, everything was normal.

_Everything's normal…yeah sure. Except for the fact that I'm now a Spirit Detective that has to deal with demons, ghosts, apparitions, and all other stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with being normal. Damn, why is it I always get stuck with stuff like this? _

Yume pulled herself out of bed, stretched, then got dressed.

Without so much as a note to her mother, the delinquent teen went out the door and out into the neighborhood.

_I think I'll go visit that little boy. _She smiled at the thought of him.

He was so cute, like having a little brother.

After looking around for a while, she found the park, and there she found the little boy with his mother.

"Hello." She said, walking up.

The mother blinked. "Oh…dear. You're that girl…but they said you were dead."

"I wasn't. I was in a coma. Stupid doctors can't do anything right." She snorted, then smiled at the boy. "Hey! I heard you wanted to play with me." Her face was currently occupied by her secret 'momma' smile.

The little boy smiled brightly. "Yay! Can I momma?"

The mother sighed. "Of course. You've been a good boy lately."

Yume laughed. "Well, I guess we'd best get introductions outta the way. I'm Saiyume Urameshi. Or just Yume."

The little boy grinned. "Sai! Sai-chan!"

Yume blinked. She hadn't been called that since she was five. She grinned. "And what would your name be?" she asked, poking him on his forehead.

"Yuki."

Yume nodded. "Okay, Yuki. Let's go play."

Yuki jumped onto her back, and she carried him off to the merry-go-round, placing him in the middle, and spun as hard as she could.

The little boy was now a blur.

As soon as Yume stopped it, Yuki had spinny-signs for eyes.

"Wheeeee! That was fun!"

Yume started playing Tag with Yuki, then Hide and Seek.

They played for god only knows how long, Yume allowing herself to become the little kid she knew was in the back of her heart.

All too soon, the fun would have to end.

Suddenly, in mid-laugh, Yuki froze and fell over.

"Yuki?" Yume checked him over. He wasn't breathing, and his eyes were blank. "YUKI?"

Koenma suddenly appeared above her. "Yume! We are in deep trouble! I need your help! I have a mission for you that needs to be dealt with ASAP!"

"If this has anything to do with Yuki being like this, then I'm all for it."

Koenma looked over Yuki. "His soul has been taken. This is part of your mission. But don't let your emotions get in the way." Koenma sighed, closing his eyes. "Yume. There are three demon thieves running around. They made complete slush of my father's guards, and stole the Three Artifacts of Darkness. The Orb of Baast, The Shadow Sword, and the Forlorn Hope. The Orb can steal Human souls from their bodies, storing them in the Orb itself. The Sword can turn anything it cuts into a Demon, mindless and only recognizes the orders of its' master. The Forlorn Hope, a mirror, reflects the greatest desire of the holder, and it will grant that wish. At a price."

"That's all nice and all, but what do these thieves look like, and where are they?" Yume wanted to get straight down to business.

"Very well, Yume. It seems you don't want to waste any time. The first thief is Gouki. This is a hard-core criminal. His skin is tan, and his hair is grey. He is VERY tall. You won't be able to miss a mountain like him. But, I have to leave. Here are pictures of the three and the information we've been able to gather about them." Koenma handed her a stack of photos, and disappeared.

Yume walked home, looking over the pictures.

The first one she had already been told about, Gouki. _Damn is he ugly. _

The second one was another male, short. Black gravity-defying hair with a white starburst in the middle of his forehead. A white bandanna covered his forehead, partially shadowing his ruby-garnet-blood red eyes. He looked like a real punk/killer. _Hiei. A fire demon/ ice apparition. Also known as a Forbidden Child. Very strong. Lower D-Class Demon. Hmph. Okay. He doesn't seem so tough. _

Yume almost dropped the next picture. _This is the guy I ran into the day I died! _

Red hair, green eyes…effeminate features. This was definitely him.

_Hmmmm…Kurama. So that's his name? Apparently they don't know what he is. The only thing they can tell is that he's a fox demon. Well…it shouldn't be too hard to find people like this. They'll stick out like sore thumbs. _

With that last thought, Yume ran off into her house and rummaged through her closet to get ready for a fight.

Yume looked up at the sky. It was starting to rain. "Just great. As if I don't need to get wet along with irritated."

She shook her head, looking down at the watch on her wrist.

The Demon Compass, along with her Psychic Spyglass were the only two items that Botan had given her.

She focused the Compass, and followed it into a dark alley. _Why is it always a dark alley? Can't bad guys be more…flexible and less predictable? Is there some kind of code that bad guys have to live by or something? _

Yume shook her head. "This sucks." _Especially my so-called 'plan'. I really hope this Kurama is the kind of guy I take him for. _

Yume continued to walk down the alley until she came to a large apartment area in the slums.

Bums and thugs littered the ground here and there.

_Whoa, reminds me of home. _

"Well, hey little girl. You lost?" came a voice from behind her.

Yume sighed. _Here goes my plan. Thank god for acting lessons. _

Yume turned to face the man, fear shining in her eyes, her fist held up at the bottom of her lip. "I-I'm sorry. I think I may have…taken a wrong turn." Her voice quivered, unsure of whether she should be scared or run.

"Well, why don't we help you? I'm sure you could give us something for our trouble." A man came behind her, surprising her.

She 'eep'ed', jumping back, accidentally bumping into yet another thug.

She started to cry. "I…I wanna go home…"

"Well, you can go home. Soon as we have some fun." The leading thug grinned at her, looking her up and down, and Yume resisted the urge to barf. _Keep up the innocent act. All gentlemen fall head-over-heels for that kinda stuff. _

The thugs surrounded her, and she cried harder. "Help…Somebody…" she whimpered, sounding as helpless and scared as she could muster, her body shaking. "**Somebody help!" **

Kurama sighed as he sat on top of the building with Hiei and Gouki.

_Remind me again why I'm in an alliance with these two nitwits? _

Gouki was busy gloating about the Orb, and Hiei was having fun with the Sword.

A sudden scream came to his ears.

**"Somebody help!" **

He looked over the edge of the building to see a young girl being harassed by a group of thugs who looked ready to rape her.

_Damn. Why do I have to be a gentleman? _

Kurama jumped down from the top of the building, ignoring the yells from Gouki and Hiei, and proceeded to grab the girl from the middle of the group, and jumped back up to the roof.

The girl screamed when he grabbed her, obviously afraid he was one of the thugs.

Her body shivered as he landed near the others, tears falling down her tan face.

"Are you okay, miss?"

"I…I'm fine…" she whispered. "Thank you…" she paused, her shivering halting. "**Kurama."**

A sudden punch sent him flying across the roof into Gouki, who caught him. "Watch it, Red."

"Aaah!"

The girl suddenly stood, sweeping her long hair over her shoulder. "That's the problem with recruiting gentlemen. They're always predictable." She grinned. "I'm Yume Urameshi, the Spirit Detective of Earth."

The three looked at her.

**This **_little girl is the Spirit Detective? _That was the only thought resonating through their minds.

Gouki started to snicker, as did Hiei and Kurama, then they all burst out laughing.

"Th-This…is the Great Spirit Detective that is meant to destroy all demons in the Human World?" came Hiei's scornful voice. _So she's finally back. Welcome back, Detective. Though, I must say she looks much different._

This…girl, had long black hair in a braided ponytail on top of her head, cinnamon-brown eyes that shone with anger and cockiness, a body most girls would kill for, and tanned skin that was most likely natural or from staying in the sun for too long. Her clothes were what made them laugh.

She wore a pink peasant shirt, flowy and loose around her form, but tight around the chest. The pink was a soft rose with butterfly patterns in blue and purple flitting across the ¾ length sleeves and the bottom of the shirt. Her…skirt…was long, reaching to her knees, colored a very pretty color of sky blue, and a pair of sandals finished her outfit.

How was she planning on fighting them with an outfit like that? _This is supposed to be Yusuke? What did becoming a girl do to him? He's so…different…_

Hiei contained some of his laughter. "Who dressed you, onna? You're mother?"

"No, my mother would have dressed me in tight black leather that shows off as much of my body as possible without doing a strip show and a whip. So…this is my best friend's doing. Now, will you just hand over the damned Artifacts of Darkness, and I'll leave you all in one piece."

Kurama sighed. "I'm sorry, but I must withdraw from this alliance."

_What did he say, and did he just completely ignore my warning?_

The other two stared at him. "What? What are you talking about, Kurama?" Hiei spat.

"Let him leave, but you'll have to leave the mirror." Gouki held out his hand to take the mirror from Kurama's hands.

"I apologize. But I am in need of this mirror's aid. Farewell." He jumped off the building's top, and walked off, calm as you please.

"Hmph. Coward." Yume muttered. "Afraid to fight a girl." _Why do I get the strongest feeling of déjà vu? It's like…all of this has happened before. At least I think it has. Anyway, Yume! Concentrate on the fight!_

Yume looked at the other two with her 'fighter' look. "So, are you two going to follow your friends' example and run away? Or are you gonna be men and fight me?"

Hiei snorted. "You aren't worth it. But…" He looked her directly in the eyes, and for some strange reason, when those large, crimson red eyes looked directly into her own, her heart clenched, and she felt that she never wanted to break eye contact with him. "We'll probably see each other again, Onmitsu (Detective)."

He disappeared.

"Hey! Jeeze, shorty! What is it with demons and not fighting girls?" Yume muttered, annoyed that she hadn't been able to fight yet. This had been the one drawback to her plan. You dress up like a chick, they treat you like a chick. And that meant being talked down to, teased, and underestimated. Course, the underestimating was fun.

Gouki chuckled. "Well, it seems you're anxious for a fight, little girl. So, I'll fight you, right after I have a little snack." Gouki took out a glowing black and green ball, and pulled out a wispy white cloud.

"Is that…?" Yume let her sentence drop, for she knew the answer. _That's Yuki's soul…_

Gouki grinned. "That's what I love about this thing. I don't have to cook anymore. People don't understand how hard it is to eat human souls. You have to cook them long enough so they taste good, but not enough to kill them." He placed the soul in his mouth, not noticing that Yume's eyes were bleeding red.

"Spit it out!" she ran towards the giant of a man, punching him in the chin, causing the soul to escape from his mouth.

She looked at the sky, eyes following Yuki's souls' ascension into the sky. _You're welcome Yuki. I'll see you tomorrow. If I live that long. _

Gouki glared at her, wiping a small trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.

_I guess I knocked his jaw outta place. Cool. _

"Well, looks like you're not as weak as I first thought. That actually slightly hurt."

He then grinned. "Guess I'll have to kick things up a notch."

Sounds of bones cracking and growling filled the air, and Yume's eyes widened in horror, her mouth falling open slightly.

Before her was the most hideous creature she had ever seen.

Red skin, long gray hair, three horns in his forehead, and a huge case of overbite.

_This is Gouki? _Yume actually had the sanity to look scared. Hell, why wouldn't she?

Gouki took her moment of shock to pick her up and throw her off the building, hoping to kill her quickly.

Yume shot out of her reverie and grabbed onto a tree branch, swinging herself around a little, making good use of her twelve years of gymnastics. She then let go, flying to the ground, landing perfectly on the balls of her feet.

She looked up at Gouki, who was watching her from the roof. _Here's a sign, bucko. _She flipped him off, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Come and get me, bastard!" she yelled, running into the forest.

She heard loud thumping sounds, meaning he had taken her words seriously.

_Shit. Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit. A million times shit, damn and fuck! _

These were Yume's only thoughts as she continued to run through the forest, sometimes having to leap over a random rock, grounded tree branch, or duck under a hanging branch.

Yume stopped in an open clearing, shaking her head to clear her eyes of the falling rain.

Her clothes were holding her body in a tight embrace, accentuating every curve of her body she had always tried to hide.

Her hair was extremely heavy and cold against her neck and back.

The sound of a tree falling over alerted her to Gouki's entrance in the clearing.

He was waving around a tree!

Yume gasped, and jumped out of the way, trying to avoid getting hit by the large piece of heavy vegetation.

But, persistence pays off, and Yume screamed as the tree came in contact with her stomach.

Yume collapsed against another tree, holding her stomach.

Pain burned throughout her whole body, making her want to scream, cry…anything to get her mind off of the pain.

_Damn it, he had to have broken a rib or two with that shot. _

Gouki suddenly loomed before her, and punched her into yet another tree.

Yet another pained scream was wrenched from her lungs and forced through her.

"Had enough yet, Onmitsu?" Gouki growled, standing over her.

Yume lay on her side, holding her stomach, her eyes squeezed shut and her mouth set, teeth clenched. She whimpered from the pain. _Damn, I'm going to die…again. I only just got back I don't want to go…_

Gouki snorted, then turned and started to walk away.

Yume whimpered, and released one of her arms from her stomach, pushing against the ground, trying to get it to let her up.

Yume pushed herself onto her knees, holding herself up off the ground with her hands.

She gasped for breath, trying to force it into her aching and screaming lungs.

She grunted in pain, but ignored the fire seeping all throughout her veins, and was finally able to stand, holding her stomach with her left arm.

A sudden, crazy idea occurred to her. She didn't know where it came from, but a slight warm feeling was resonating from her finger.

She looked, seeing the purple light (Yes, I decided to make it purple. Boys use blue, girls use purple. It would be SO un-Yusuke to have pink. Deal with it.) coming from her index finger.

Yume blinked at it, then rose it to her face.

_Maybe…_

Yume turned back to Gouki, pointing her glowing finger at him.

"Yo! Ugly!"

Gouki turned around to face her, mouth wide open.

Yume formed a gun shape with her hand, and shot the purple light at him, making it shoot through his mouth, out the back, and knocking down a couple of trees.

_What the hell was that? _She limped over to where Gouki now lay, dead as anyone could be.

She sighed. _Good. _She took hold of the Orb, holding the ball-like creation of Hell in her small hand.

_One down…I almost lost my head getting this one, what will it take to get the other two? _

Now that she wasn't in danger of dying, Yume sighed and lay on the grass, looking up at the clearing sky, sunlight shining down on her.

Her thoughts wondered to the other two thieves.

_Kurama and Hiei…what is it with them? Why do I get the strangest feeling when I'm near them? I've met Kurama once before, and I know he can't really be all that bad…but what about Hiei? I get the strangest feeling that I know them…from somewhere. But where? How could I know them, I don't remember them. _

Yume groaned, covering her eyes with one arm, trying to block out the images of Kurama and Hiei from her minds' eye.

_Why? Why can't I stop thinking about them? Why do I feel like they're somehow important to me? Like…I want to protect them. _Yume sat up and shook her head vigorously, trying to shake those thoughts out of her mind. _What am I thinking? Protect thieves? Criminals? Murderers? Why? What's so important about them? Did I know them in a past life or something? Oh whatever! _Yume stood, ignoring the pain shooting through her body, and walked on home, intent on finding Botan and informing her of a mission accomplished.

A/N: There, there's the end of the chapter. That was a lot longer than the others, wasn't it? Well, I hope that makes up for my short absence. I got…pre-occupied. I had some library volunteer stuff to do, and I had to go and buy some stuff. Hope you can forgive me! Oh, and the votes are still on! Don't forget to vote for who you want Yume to end up with! In the next chapter, I'll take down the next one that has the smallest amount of votes. Good luck!


	7. Mission 2: Kurama and the Forlorn Hope

Okay everybody, as you can see, Koenma has been taken out of the running. Sorry. But I have to lower the votes every once in a while, makes it easier for us to keep track of who's winning. Well, currently, Hiei is still in the lead. So, you guys who want Jin or Kurama to win, you'd better hurry up! Remember, reviewing with your vote gives your favorite bishie a better chance at winning Yume's heart! And if you think that the votes don't really correspond with what's in my review list, then you'll have to remember that I also count votes from my friends and stuff. Oh, you Kurama/Yume voters are gonna love this chapter. And I am adding a lot of stuff into this chapter that did NOT happen in the anime. But it should have in my opinion. Anyway, I don't own the song in here. Please don't report me! I couldn't help but add it!

Here are the current vote tallies:

Kurama: 17

Hiei: 19

Jin: 16

Also, I wanted to introduce my friend KawaiiNekoYokai, the writer of fanfics that ROCK! If you love Harry Potter, YYH, or Inu-Yasha, you HAVE to read her fanfics. Especially her fanfics Earthbound Goddess (YGO), I Must Not Chase the Boys (HP), and Running with My Lover Beast (YYH).

Chapter Seven: Kurama and the Forlorn Hope

"Yeowch!" Yume yelped, holding onto her arm as Botan added a lot of cleaning alcohol to a minute cut.

"Jeeze, anymore alcohol and I'll need a licensed driver!" She yelled, blowing on the stinging wound.

From what Botan could tell of Yume's injuries, she had a few cracked ribs, two broken, a sprained ankle, shattered collarbone, and…well, a little internal bleeding.

Though, with Botan's healing powers, all of her wounds were being dealt with.

"So…what are you going to do about the Forlorn Hope and the Sword of Darkness?"

Yume's eyes shadowed slightly as she thought back to not three hours ago.

Yume walked along the street, holding her shoulder tightly.

It hurt her to walk at all, but she had to make it home with the Orb in her pocket.

Her demon compass started to go haywire.

_Oh no! If I run into one of them here, I'm dead meat on a stick!_ Her eyes searched the area frantically, finally resting on a very familiar redhead. He wasn't wearing the horrid pink school uniform, but instead a simple white t-shirt, blue jeans, and a black jean jacket.

_There…it's Kurama…Hope he's not angry about the trick I pulled._ Of course, it didn't help matters that she remembered trying to hide a blush when he had been holding her in his strong, warm arms.

She had to admit he did know how to carry a girl.

Kurama walked up to her, green eyes serious.

He spared her a glance as he walked past her, but she heard a voice in her head.

Come with me, Detective. 

Yume blinked, but followed the redhead, although a might bit apprehensive as he led them into a café.

"What the hell?"

He offered her a seat and she sat across from him.

"I bet you're wondering why I invited you in here."

"No duh."

Kurama chuckled, a slight smirk on his face. "Oh, and I must congratulate you on a wonderful trick. You used my weakness against me."

Yume blinked.

He smirked. "I never could resist a beautiful maiden in trouble."

Before she could stop herself, Yume meeped, looking at her hands in her lap, a strong burst of red going across her nose.

"Wh-What the…no one's…ever said that before…and I ain't no maiden."

Kurama blinked. "Really? Well, they're blind. And…well, as opposed to you not being a maiden…I don't see any males with a chest."

Yume blushed, but finally got enough sense into her head about what was going on and shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "Wait a minute. I can't be here with you…I mean, you're my case! A thief, a demon, and a criminal." She muttered the last parts, so as not to be overheard by everyone else in the area.

Kurama looked at his cup of tea. "Yes…you're right. But the reason I brought you in here was to ask you a request."

"What?" she rose a delicate eyebrow at him, gaze untrusting. Though…she felt a tug at her heart when he looked directly at her, studying her with those flawless emerald eyes.

She blushed again. _Dammit Yume! Snap out of it! You've never let some damned pretty boy make a fool of you before, and you sure as hell aren't gonna start now! _

Yume sighed. "Now, what was the reason you dragged me here? I should be going to get medical help after the shit you're friend Gouki put me through." She rubbed her stomach in memory, wincing.

"Ah, I must apologize on that. Hiei will not be any better. In fact, he will be much worse." Kurama said quietly, sipping his tea carefully. He fixed her with a gaze. "Do you not like tea or something?"

Yume jumped at the sudden, out-of-the-blue question. "Uh…" she looked down at her cup. "When did that get here?"

Kurama laughed lightly. "A few minutes ago. You might want to drink it before it gets cold."

"What kind is it?" she asked.

"Rose hips."

She snickered.

Kurama blinked, a cutely confused expression going across his face. "Did I say something funny?"

"It's just…that's my favorite…"

Kurama laughed with her. "I must admit, it is mine as well."

Everyone in the café thought they were an adorable couple out on a date.

Kurama caught a snippet of a conversation at a table near theirs, and started to laugh.

Now it was Yume's turn to be confused. "What?"

"Th-They think we're a couple…"

Yume blushed. "Th-That's…insane."

"Not really." He looked at her, smiling in a very…melting manner. "I think we'd look cute together."

Yume blinked in surprise…, but then smirked. "Why, Mr. Minamoto, was that some sort of come on?" She gave him a sly grin, resting her chin in her palm, holding her cup in the other hand.

He smiled. "It might just be."

The two laughed together. Obviously both enjoyed shameless flirting.

Yume couldn't believe this. _Here I am, in a café, on a near-date with an enemy. How weird can you get? _

She spared a glance at him as he talked to the waitress. She studied him.

_But he sure is cute…and a gentlemen from what I can tell. Any girl would die to have him. _She accidentally let out a forlorn sigh. _But I bet he's just asking me here to drag me off somewhere and then kill me. Course, with those looks, he could have any girl he wanted. And I'd definitely not fit the bill. Wait, what am I thinking! _

"Ms. Urameshi?"

"Yume."

"Huh?" Kurama blinked.

"Ms. Urameshi is my mother."

"Okay…Yume…" He smiled at her. "That's the first time I've ever really called anyone by their first name."

"You were there…" she whispered.

"Where?"

"When I died. You were there. I remember, before blacking out, a pair of emerald eyes looking down at me. They were sad, regretful. They looked…heartbroken." She looked at him.

Kurama sighed. "Yes. I was there. I had no idea who you were at the time, except for your name and reputation. But…I felt drawn to you. Couldn't you feel it?"

Yume nodded. "Yeah. I did. But…" she shook her head. "Damn, I'm getting sidetracked. Dammit, tell me what you called me here for!"

"Okay. Three days. Just give me three days and I will gladly return the Forlorn Hope, and I will accept my punishment."

"Why?"

"I said that I had my reasons for using the mirror. And those reasons shall be revealed all in due time. Please," he reached across the table, and took small hand in his larger one. "Please, Yume. Trust me."

Yume blinked for a second, taking in the warmth that spread from that simple touch. She looked into his eyes, and almost drowned in a sea of sorrowful emerald.

He put up a façade most of the time, apparently. Allowing people the pleasure of believing they knew what he was thinking when they truly had no idea.

They assumed he was a smart, lucky, beautiful young man with a one-way ticket to success in life. But you do know what happens when you 'assume', right?

You make an _ass _out of _u _and _me. _

Once you looked past his façade, you could see through right to his soul.

There…right in the middle…a slight glimmer of hope…and that hope was directed at her.

Yume had always had some weird ability to see the true person in people.

And right now she was seeing the real Kurama. Past the thief, and the student of Meiou High School…and right into Kurama, the person he was.

Sad…lonely…yet…at the same time, he was happy. He had been given a glimmer of hope that might be able to rectify what he had done.

Yume smiled gently for the first time in a long while. _We're so alike…_ "We're so alike."

Kurama smiled at her. "Yes. I believe we are."

She looked at him, and really looked. "I'll trust you, Kurama. But you had better not let me down. I don't pass out trust that easily."

Kurama laughed. "Well, what a way to break a very dramatic moment."

Yume laughed to, realizing what she had said. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Kurama looked at his watch, "Well, it is currently seven. Would you do me the honor of splitting a slice of chocolate lasagna with me? I can't eat a whole one."

Yume blinked. "Why? Why are you acting like this? I mean, I'm supposed to try and kill you."

Kurama nodded, eyes closed. "That is true. But I see you live in the moment, not brooding about the future."

She laughed, scratching the back of her neck. "Ya got that right." She thought for a second. _Well…it couldn't hurt…_

Suddenly, one of those annoying voices came up in her head. **Come on, Yume! This is probably the closest you're going to get to a date! Just take his offer! I mean, look at him? How can you pass up such a hot guy? **

Yume smirked. "Sure. I'd love to."

The two lost track of time as they chattered, sometimes near-arguing as they shared a very large slice of chocolate lasagna.

Afterwards, Kurama had paid for it…much to Yume's dislike.

Sure, she liked to get free food…but hey, this was the closest she had ever been to a date.

"You didn't have to pay for it." She pouted.

Kurama smiled at her again. "But I wanted to. And it wasn't that much." The two walked out the door, and she didn't really notice when Kurama walked her to her apartment complex.

"This is your complex, correct?"

Yume looked up, "Oh…yeah. Right."

Kurama smiled at her. "Yume?"

She turned to look at him, only to find that her nose touched his when she had turned her head.

Yume blushed. "Uh…"

Kurama leaned in, and brushed his lips against hers, eyes shut.

Yume stiffened, but she couldn't stop the warmth spreading across her face.

After a second, he pulled back. "Good night and good luck, Yume."

He walked off, leaving Yume to stare at the spot where he previously stood.

_What the hell was that? _

Yume sighed, sitting on the ceiling of her high school. It had been two days since she'd last seen Kurama, and she couldn't help but miss him for some odd reason.

"Yume! Yume!" Keiko came running up the stairs, a letter clutched in her hand. "Oh, there you are! I've been looking all over for you."

"If it's about me not going to class," Yume started, but Keiko cut her off.

"Not this time." She held out the letter, "A boy dropped this off at the school. It has your name on it."

Yume blinked, then took it. There was a red rose bloom attached to it, thorn-less.

On the front of the pure white letter, was her name in very fancy kanji in emerald ink.

"What?" she opened it, pulling out the tri-folded letter.

_Dear Yume, _

_I wish to express my deepest apologies as to my actions two nights ago. I did not mean to act so forward towards you. _

_But my letter to you is of a more serious matter. Tonight is the third night of my promise to you. _

_Would you please meet me in front of Mushiori City Hospital tonight at sunset? _

_There, I will tell you the reason of my need for the Forlorn Hope. _

_I do hope that you will trust me enough and meet me. _

_Until we meet again, my Migoto Onmitsu, (1)_

_Kurama _

Yume blinked, a light blush spreading across her face…one that Keiko noticed.

"Yume! You're blushing! Is it a love letter?"

Yume's blush darkened. "Uh…well…I…uh…" She looked at her watch.

_Two hours until sunset. _"Um…Keiko?"

"Yes?"

"Could you…help me find something to wear?"

"For what?"

"Well…I'm meeting a guy."

"Nani! Oh, Yume this is wonderful! Now you can finally get a boyfriend who isn't afraid of you!" she hugged the surprised detective for all she was worth.

"Gah! Keiko! Can't…breathe!"

"Oh, sorry! Come on, it's after school and now we can head over to the mall and get you a whole new outfit for your date! Oh, this is gonna be so much fun!" Keiko grabbed her childhood friend's hand and dragged her from the roof of the school, to the torture chamber many girls loved, but Yume feared…the mall.

Yume stared at her reflection in her room, kind of shocked. "Uh…Keiko? Don't you think this is a little much?"

"Of course not! It's perfect for you!" Keiko smiled, obviously happy.

"I'm not so sure." She muttered, trying not to scream.

There, in the mirror, was a her she never wanted to see again.

Keiko had taken her to many different stores until she had bought everything for the perfect outfit.

Hell, she'd gone into Hot Topic to find the perfect skirt. Actually, most of the stuff she was wearing came from Hot Topic. That, she didn't have a problem with. What she did have a problem with was the actual outfit she was wearing.

Her dress was pink-or 'Cyber Rose' as Keiko called it-under the black lace covering, and reached to just under her knees. (I'm going to have a picture of each piece of the outfit she's wearing, look in my bio for the url's. Kay?)

Her shoes were practically platform boots, with a thousand different buckles going up them in black leather with silver buckles.

(The rest of the outfit is hard to explain, so just go to my bio and click on the url's there to see all of the stuff that are in the outfit. It rocks, believe me.)

Yume groaned. "I can't face Kurama like this!"

"So his name is Kurama?"

Yume slapped her hand to her forehead. "Whatever! I need to leave now!"

"Wait!" Keiko started to mess with Yume's hair, putting it up in a messy fashion with two black faerie clips, making the tips point all over the place, but bangs framing her face. "There. Now go get him!"

"Hopefully he won't be the one to get me." Yume muttered, and left.

As soon as the sun started to set, Yume arrived at the hospital, and saw Kurama leaning against the wall, dressed in the same t-shirt, jeans and jacket as before. "Ah…you're…" he blinked, taking in her outfit. "Well…I didn't expect you to dress up."

Yume sighed. "One of my friends found out I was meeting a guy, and she immediately got the wrong idea. Don't blame me if I look like hell."

Kurama smiled. "I wasn't going to say that. You look marvelous."

Yume jumped a little, blushing. "Hmph. Uh…well…what's the reason I'm here?"

"Oh, yes. Come with me." Kurama lead her into the hospital, where a nurse greeted him in a very friendly manner, like they all knew him here.

He lead her to the elevator, down the hall, and into a room where a woman lay sleeping.

She woke up once they opened the door. "Is that you, Shuichi? It's been such a long time since you brought a friend with you." She sat up, but the motion very obviously strained her.

"You shouldn't sit up, mother! You need to keep up your strength. Have you eaten anything? Would you like me to peel an apple for you?"

"You're just like my doctors. I feel fine, dear."

"But you won't get any better if you don't have any nutrition."

"Who's that young girl?" the woman asked, looking directly at Yume with warm, brown eyes.

"Uh…Yume Urameshi ma'am." Yume bowed, slightly thinking, _Why the hell am I acting so damn polite? It's not like me…_But then her gaze drifted over to Kurama, who was fussing over his mother.

_Is she the reason he needs the mirror?_

"So, you're the girl he wouldn't shut up about last night."

Yume blinked. "Huh?"

"Oh, my son told me about a girl he had met. He just couldn't stop talking about you. It's the first time I've seen my Shuichi so excited in a long time."

Kurama looked at the floor, blushing as red as his hair.

"Oh really?" Yume drawled, grinning at 'Shuichi.' "Tell me more." She sat down on the woman's bed, where the woman gripped her hand softly.

"Oh, it was so adorable. He was acting like a young child again. He kept talking about a girl who had beautiful tan skin that was as soft as it looked, warm, cinnamon eyes glowing with life, black hair that flowed down her back in a cascading waterfall when it was out of it's braid…oh, lord! He was right! You are a beautiful young lady." The woman, Shiori, smiled brightly, and Yume found her smile to be contagious.

Kurama blushed harder. "She wasn't supposed to tell you that."

"Oh, so you admit to saying it, eh, 'Shuichi'?" Yume teased, gently poking his chest. "You're right, Shiori, him blushing is adorable!"

Kurama's blush darkened. "Oh lord…"

"So, what do you think of my son, Yume?" Shiori chirped. Even though she appeared to be very sick, she was still a bright and vibrant woman.

"Well…that's a very hard question…" _I think I'll make him squirm. _Yume grinned, and Kurama got a sinking feeling in his stomach.

_She wouldn't…She would…_

"Well, I'd have to say that he's very handsome for one thing." Yume said, smiling. "He's also very brave."

"Oh?"

"Yes, you see, we met when I was lost. I accidentally wandered into an unknown area of town, and I ran into some trouble with a gang of trouble makers and thugs."

"Oh dear. You poor thing."

"I was very frightened then. I thought they were going to hurt me…or worse." Yume sniffed, fake tears falling from her eyes… "But…right when I thought there was no hope for my rescue even though I was screaming for help as loud as I could, your son came along and rescued me, beating up the thugs and pulling me away from that dark area of town. Heck, he even carried me part of the way cause my ankle had gotten hurt."

Kurama blinked at her. _She is, without a doubt, the best actress I've ever seen. _

"Oh dear! Well, I'm just glad that Shuichi was there to help you. God only knows what could have happened."

Yume nodded. "Yes. I'm very lucky." She spared a glance over at Kurama, grinning at him 'innocently'.

Kurama rolled his eyes. "Mother, I need to speak with Yume privately."

"First…" Shiori stated, giving him a pout.

"Fine mother."

"Yume has to do it too."

"What? Mother…"

"Can you sing, Yume dear?"

"Uh…well, I've never really tried, actually!" Yume laughed.

"Well, do you know the song, 'Out of My Heart'?"

"Yes. I do. Why?"

"Could you sing it with Shuichi? He always sings a song for me while I'm here. It helps me feel better." Shiori gave her a pleading look, and Yume could not say no.

_That woman needs to work for the CIA or something. _Yume muttered in her head. "All right, Shiori."

She didn't notice Kurama's smirk.

He sat down on the chair next to Shiori's bed, and pulled Yume down on his lap.

Yume squeaked. "What are you doing?" she hissed at him.

"It will make my mother happy. Also, I thought we should get comfortable if we're going to be singing together." Kurama gave her his unreadable smile, and she glared at him, but couldn't stop herself from leaning against his chest, noting how warm he was and how he seemed to hold her like she actually meant something. She smiled slightly. _So…is this what it would feel like to have a boyfriend? _

Kurama looked at her, and started to sing. (_Kurama _**Yume **Together)

_I feel fine  
Now the rain is gone  
and the sun has come to shine  
Nothin can get me down today  
Head over heals  
Got my mind made up  
as i'm driving through the fields  
Nothin can get me down again  
Catch me if you can  
I gotta make a getaway_

Yume was amazed at Kurama's voice. It was calming, sweet, and just like him. Yet it held a mysterious note in it that made you want to keep listening, your soul begging him not to stop singing.

Yume snapped herself out of her reverie, remembering that she had to sing in the chorus with him.

As the sun goes down  
Wakin' up my dreams  
And in my mind you're with me once again  
Outta my heart Into your head  
And inside my heart there's a place for you  
And in my mind i'm with you once again  
Outta my heart into your head  
  
Yume grinned at Kurama while singing, and leaned her head and his chest while they sang together, unbeknownst to them both. They were both too wrapped up in their singing.

They didn't know the adorable picture they made together.

**Chasing the sun  
Tryin ta get away  
from the rain that's gonna come  
Hope I make it all the way  
I'm lost in a crowd  
Tryin' ta find my way  
but the rain keeps fallin' down  
Doesn't matter anyway  
Catch me if you can  
I gotta make a getaway  
**  
Kurama blinked at Yume's voice, but it made him smile. She was a wonderful singer.

Her voice was kind of rough, not high and sweet like most girls' but kind of throaty and beautiful at the same time. (Think Anastacia, if any of you have heard of her.)

As the sun goes down  
Wakin' up my dreams  
And in my mind you're with me once again  
Outta my heart Into your head  
And inside my heart there's a place for you  
And in my mind i'm with you once again  
Outta my heart Into your head  


_Take a look  
At the sky feel the sunshine  
In your heart, In your head  
In your own time  
_  
As the sun goes down  
Wakin' up my dreams  
And in my mind you're with me once again  
Outta my heart Into your head  
And inside my heart there's a place for you  
And in my mind i'm with you once again  
Outta my heart Into your head

_Outta my heart Into your head  
_**Outta my heart Into your head**

As Yume sang the last note, Shiori clapped quietly. "Oh, you two make the cutest couple!" she squealed.

"Huh?" They both got out, looked at each other, and blushed, quickly looking away.

"Mother…I need to go and speak with Yume now."

Shiori nodded. "Of course, dear. Please come back." She smiled, laying back on her pillows.

Yume lifted herself from Kurama's lap, allowing him to go over to his mother and kiss her forehead tenderly.

Yume smiled. _I didn't know demons had mothers. At least, mothers that really cared about their children. From what Koenma told me, most demon mothers abandon their children the moment they're able. But what is this all about? Why is she calling him 'Shuichi'? I thought his name was Kurama. Well, guess I'll find out. _

Kurama walked away from his mother, passing Yume on his way to the door.

"Follow me, Yume."

She nodded silently, following him to the roof of the hospital.

The sun was setting far behind the horizon by now, bathing them in the crimson glow of the setting sun.

"That woman is my human mother. Shuichi is the name I was given in this human façade." Kurama started, then sighed. "My truest name is Yoko. I was a fox. A spirit fox, gaining the powers of a demon over the centuries I had lived. I soon grew bored and tried my hardest to entertain myself. Stealing ancient treasures and cracking codes were my favorite sport. But I got careless and nearly died at the hands of a hunter. I cast a spell and threw myself into the living world, placing myself in the soul of an unborn child. Thus, I entered a human family. I knew that if I could last ten years, just ten years as a human, then my powers would have come back enough for me to leave forever and disappear completely. But…then my mother got sick. She had shown me so much kindness, cared for me so deeply. It's hard, raising a child who thinks you are inferior. I feel, in a sense, that it was I who caused her disease…" he pulled out the Forlorn Hope, seeing his reflection on the thin surface. He looked back at Yume. "Did you know that in some species a child eats its mother?"

Yume blinked. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"I don't know. Maybe because…I'm guilty. Maybe I feel like I am one of those 'mother devouring' creatures." He turned to her. "And besides, I knew that you would trust me."

The wind blew hard, whipping their hair around their faces.

"Please Yume, allow me to use the Forlorn Hope to save this woman's life, and then I will accept my punishment!"

Before Yume could answer, a nurse threw open the door. "Shuichi! It's your mother!"

Kurama ran downstairs, leaving Yume alone.

He came back when the moon was high in the sky, shining brightly down on them both.

"So?"

"She will die tonight." Kurama said, looking down at the mirror. He placed it on the ground, and kneeled in front of it.

Yume stared at him. "So I heard that you had to dish something out to the mirror to make it work…what is it?"

"Life."

"What?"

"It's quite easy to understand Yume. In order to save my mother's life, I must give up my life."

He looked down at the mirror that was starting to glow as moonlight hit it. "Forlorn Hope, arise from your slumber and reveal my greatest wish so you can make it true."

A picture of Shiori's smiling face appeared in the mirror. **The happiness of this woman, is that what you desire? **

"Yes."

**In order to do this, you must give your life. Is that what you desire?" **

"It is."

Yume snapped out of her shock. "Wait a minute! Can't we talk this out? I mean, there's gotta be some other way to do this!"

"No…there is not…"

**Then your desire shall be fulfilled! **

White shocks of energy flowed from the mirror, engulfing Kurama.

He tried to not scream in pain as his life was sucked away from him.

_For you…mother. _

Suddenly, Yume threw her arms around his neck from behind, whilst being covered with the shocks as well.

"What are you doing!" he yelled.

"Hey mirror-guy, can you hear me! Listen, I want you to take my life instead! That way Kurama can live and still get his wish right?" Yume never relinquished her hold on his neck.

"This doesn't make sense, it's my wish!"

"Yeah, but what's the use in bringing your mother out of sickness just so she can mourn the death of her son?" Yume yelled as images of her own mother sobbing entered her mind. "I've seen that once, and I never want to see it again!"

**Your desire shall be fulfilled!**

A white light engulfed them both.

And all went black.

Yume woke up minutes later, head aching like a bitch.

"Ow…" she looked up and saw Botan.

"Oh…you're alive." Botan sighed in relief.

"Hey! Cool I'm alive!" Yume said happily, "But y'know, that didn't make any sense what I just did. The point was to stop the whole 'sad-mom' thing, but then my mom would have been sad."

"Stupid…"

"But hey, I did get the Forlorn Hope back!" Yume smiled.

**In honor of your noble deed, I fulfilled the wish without taking life. **

"The Spirit Detective strikes again!" Botan laughed.  
Yume grinned as she pocketed the mirror. "That's right. I've only got one more artifact to go."

"To think I doubted the Great Yume, what was I thinking?"

"Nah, Great Urameshi sounds better!"

"Oh, my mistake!"

They both laughed, one relieved as to the fact that it was almost over, and the other, laughing to get rid of the sadness she felt when she noticed that a certain fox wasn't there when she woke up.

A/N: There ya go…really long chapter…Hope you all are happy. Now don't forget to vote!


	8. Mission 3: Hiei and the Shadow Sword

Here are the current vote tallies:

Kurama: 27

Hiei: 29

Jin: 26

Well, that's an interesting turn of events….also, I'd like to make a shout-out to a reviewer who's…well, review, made me stop and stare for a few minutes.

**Drachegirl14: wow! I love this story, I'd like to see a Yusuke/Kurama/Hiei/Jin love triangle kinda thing if you can do that . . . If not, Hiei or Kurama with Yususke is fine with me. Thank you!**

Well….uh, Drache…I don't really know how to do that. I mean…don't triangles mean that no one ends up with the leading girl? Or would it be that Yume would end up with all three of them? I mean, if you'd help me out with it, then I'd be willing to try it. I think it's an adorable idea, don't get me wrong. I love the more-than-one-mate pairings. They just get a little difficult after a while. But I would love to try if some other people would vote. I'm keeping up the voting for a long time more. I'll be adding more options at the end of the chapters. MAKE SURE YOU READ IT! (THIS IS OUT TO EVERYONE WHO READS THIS STORY AND VOTES FOR THE PAIRINGS. IF YOU READ THIS, REVIEW, AND DON'T VOTE, PLEASE DO! I'M ASKING FOR THE OPINIONS OF MY REVIEWERS BECAUSE I CAN'T MAKE UP MY OWN MIND.) Sorry. There we go. Thank you so much for reviewing, everybody!

You'll all notice a certain part of this story that is very different from the anime. I couldn't help it. Hope you all like it! Enjoy the chapter! **Also, there is a moment in this chapter that will make me think about upping the rating on this story. So you are warned. **

Chapter Eight: Hiei and the Shadow Sword

Yume yawned, leaning against the school's brick wall, eyes half shut.

_Damn, am I tired. Kurama kept me up all night last night with that case. Stupid fox. _

Yume groaned. _I almost lost my head with the Orb of Baast, I almost lost my life with the Forlorn Hope, and…who knows what will happen with the Shadow Sword…Hah! I'll probably lose my virginity or something with that one… _She paused. _Okay, that's not funny. I don't want that Hiei guy to be my first time…I mean, sure, that kind of 'lovey-dovey' stuff doesn't mean that much to me…but still…anywhoo. Gah! There's Keiko!_

Yume gulped and got ready to run, but Keiko grasped the back of her braid.

"Ow! Ow! Owowowowowow! Damn, Kei, that hurts!" Yume yelped, trying to escape the fist twisted into her inky black locks.

"Yume! Are you trying to cut class again! I mean it, if you keep skipping like this, you'll end up like your mom!"

Yume froze. "Take that back, Keiko!" she growled.

"No! I swear, if I don't see you in school more often, they're going to take you out of school all together! And if you don't get an education, you'll wind up flipping burgers at WacDonalds, and you'll probably start drinking just like Atsuko!"

Yume's growl heightened, she flipped out of Keiko's hold, and pushed her 'friend' against the school wall. "Keiko…if I ever hear you talking like that about my mother again, I don't care if you are my childhood friend or not, I will send you flying!"

Now, that threat wouldn't have meant much to Keiko if she had been yelling, but no…Yume had to use her quiet threat to make Keiko quake in her skirt.

Yume let her friend go and ran off to God only knows where.

She was too deep in thought to notice the pair of ruby eyes following her.

The fire apparition known as Hiei stretched in his tree, fighting a yawn. The yawn won.

He'd been watching the Spirit Detective ever since she had challenged them. He had watched her kill Gouki, charm Kurama (at this Hiei snorted. _Weak-hearted fool. He disgraces the name of a demon.)_, and gain the first two artifacts. He had to admit that she was strong for a human, but she was no match for his superior power. And she would die if she tried to take his prize away from him.

Hiei smirked down at the sword strapped to his side.

The Sword of Darkness, capable of turning anything that it cuts into a demon that would be completely dependent and obedient to the holder of the sword.

Sure, they'd most likely be brainless followers who couldn't string a single word together with anything…but whatever. Beggars couldn't be choosers.

Hiei sighed. _Now how am I going to get her exactly where I want her? I could always use the whole 'hostage' situation…but who? The onna apparently has a big heart when you get past the garbage, and that makes me want to barf. Well…who to use? She seems very angry at that brown-haired onna…_At this point, Hiei shivered. That girl had been ugly, even for a human. (Can you tell I hate Keiko yet? Cause if not, then you need to pay more attention.) _Anyway. So, I can't very well use her. Her mother is out somewhere…damn, can that woman hold her liquor. I can't even drink that much. Well, I couldn't drink much in the first place…but that's besides the point. Who the hell could I use? _

His eyes caught a figure walking under the tree, and his smirk widened. _Perfect. _

Yume gulped, looking at herself in the mirror for the second time that week.

For some odd reason, she was nervous. She was supposed to be meeting Kurama at _Flame and Rain_ again, and she had just spent the past hour getting ready.

That was a big shock for her. Usually it was grab it, throw it on, and stuff her hair into a ponytail holder.

But today she had decided that she would actually carefully choose what she looked like.

For today, she had pulled together a couple of clothes that she hadn't worn in a while.

(Just like last chapter, I'm going to put the pictures of the clothing stuff she's wearing in my bio. I can't explain the articles without sounding like a complete…well…idiot. Please look in my bio for the URL's for the outfits. Kay? Kay.)

Yume sighed. _Well…I guess I couldn't look any worse. I just hope he likes it. Wait…why do I care what he thinks? I mean, it's not like I like him or anything…do I? No, that's impossible! We're totally different! He's a gentleman from a good family, a great student, and a total hottie...forget I said that! While I'm…well, everything he's not. I'm rude, egotistical, I have a loathing hate for authority, my mother couldn't be called a great mother if you bribed anyone with thousands of dollars. I know I'm at least cute in my own way, but I'm no supermodel. Not like him. _

Yume groaned. "I need to stop doing this." She looked over at her clock, only to realize she was late by half an hour. "Damn!"

She raced out of her house, trying not to fall on her ass while she ran like her life depended on it to the small café.

She skidded to a stop right outside of it, smoothing out her clothes from the run, and walked in as calmly as she could.

She looked around, but couldn't see the familiar head of fiery red hair.

Her eyes narrowed slightly and she walked up to a waitress. "Hey!"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Have you seen a boy named Shuichi? Tall, red hair, green eyes…a hottie?"

The girl seemed to think for a second. "Oh, yes! The really cute and polite boy. Well he came in here about a half hour ago, and sat down. He seemed to be waiting for somebody. But after a while he just left. Probably a girl standing him up."

Yume felt a fist clench at her heart. She hadn't stood him up. She…had just not gotten there in time.

Yume groaned again. "Thanks." She stomped out of the café, fists shoved as deep as they'd go into her deep pockets. _Why did he leave after only half an hour? I mean, I told him I'd be late. What could have made him leave so quickly?_

Yume suddenly found herself on the ground on her ass from bumping into someone.

"Oof! Itai! Shimatta did that hurt!" she glared up at the figure, only to have her eyes widen. "Hiei…"

"Hn…Detective. Meet me at the Studio Five Warehouse. And make sure to bring the other two artifacts. Get there as soon as you're able. That means tonight." He disappeared.

Yume could have screamed. _Just great! Could this day get any worse? _

A rain drop fell on her nose, making her look up at the sky and wince. _I just had to say it. _

Brown eyes searched over the Studio Five Warehouse, trying to find a trap.

"Oh whatever." She broke down the door with a swift kick, bringing it crashing down onto a bunch of blue-skinned teens.

"Hiei! I'm here! Come out, ya puny little tree sprite!" Yume yelled, stepping through the shredded remains of the door, clearly very i-rate.

"So you did come."

Yume looked up, and saw Hiei sitting calmly on a support beam on the ceiling.

"Come down here!" she yelled. She had a lot of pent-up frustration and it would be great if she could take it out on the small demon. _Great. First my 'best friend' bad mouths me and my mom, my date stands me up, and now I have to deal with a Tree-Born Tree Sprite in a Black Dress…where'd that come from? _

"Hn." Hiei's voice now came from behind her.

Yume swiveled around, nearly back-handing him.

Hiei caught it, and twisted her arm behind her back.

She yelped, the sharp sound hurting her throat.

Hiei threw her against a bunch of empty crates, and dust and debris flew everywhere. "There, onna. Did you bring the other artifacts?"

Yume coughed, pushing herself up from inside the box. She pulled them out of her purse, then pushed them back in.

"Good girl. Both that stupid orb and the precious Forlorn Hope."

Yume snorted. "Listen, just give me the damn sword and I'll let ya slide. Kay? I've got a Algebra test tomorrow on Algebraic expressions, and gee, I'd hate to miss that."

Hiei snorted. "I thought you'd pull something like that. That's why I brought insurance."

Hiei snapped and a couple of blue-skinned zombies carried out a body between them.

Yume's eyes widened as she noticed the hair and the body.

Blood red hair dirty and mussed-up beyond belief, skin smudged with dirt and dust, a bruise starting to appear just under his cheek bone, and usual Chinese-style top and slacks a dirty, ripped mess. His beautiful emerald eyes were shut.

"Kurama! What did you do to him?" She growled, turning to Hiei.

"I merely knocked him out. Of course, the fox just had to put up a fight. It was a challenge, let me tell you. But it was worth it in the end. You see, Detective, if you don't fight me or hand over those artifacts…" he snapped again, and a zombie held a very sharp butterfly knife to Kurama's throat. "…then my servant will slit his beautiful throat. His blood on your hands."

Yume gulped. _Damn it. If I fight he'll kick my ass…if I don't…then Kurama'll die. And if I hand over the artifacts, he'll still kill me, but then he'll be able to take over the world. My chances do not look good. _

Yume took a deep breath. "I accept your challenge. If I win, then you let Kurama go, completely unharmed, and you give me that stupid sword, letting me walk away if you're not dead."

"And if I win?" Hiei inquired, delicate black eyebrow rising.

"Then you get the other two artifacts and get to take over the world. Sound good to you?" Yume snapped.

"Hm…" Hiei pondered for a second, his calmness really grating on Yume's nerves. "Deal. But don't be surprised if I add a thing or two during our fight."

Yume snorted. "Whatever." _I shouldn't have worn so much jewelry. This could be a problem. I can't fight in these clothes. The pants will be easy…but all my jewelry will make it hard, and my shirt won't be helping matters. _

Again, her chances did not look good. But like Yume ever let that stop her. She'd try to win no matter what.

And so their battle began.

Yume charged forward, bringing back a fist to try and bring him down, but her fist hit nothing but air. This caused her to lose her balance and fall into a crate…again.

She looked up and saw him standing on a different crate. _How the hell did he get up there?_

"Surprised, detective? I guess I forgot to mention that I can move faster than you can see. Whoops…sorry." He did an exaggerated pout in sorry.

"Oh shove it, Tree Sprite." She pulled herself out of the rubble, not bothering to dust off her pants and shirt.

"Tree Sprite? Where did that come from?" Hiei asked.

"Well, every time I've ever felt your energy in any way, you've always been in a tree." Yume smirked. "Also, you're so short, it's just like a sprite."

Hiei growled. "Onna…"

Yume laughed. "Listen, I use that same growl twenty-four-seven. You think it'll scare me?"

"You're braver than I gave you credit for…I think I now know what kind of person you are now, Detective."

Yume blinked. _Say what?_

"You're a team player, a save-the-day superhero…" he paused, as if thinking. "I hate people like you."

Yume blinked her large, cinnamon eyes a few times in pure surprise, both of them surrounded in the suffocating blanket of silence.

A small snort broke the silence, followed by a chuckle…which turned into full-blown, unadulterated laughter coming from the young Detective.

The wonderful Detective of the Spirit World was rolling on the ground, holding her stomach with tears rolling down her face at the sheer momentum of her mirth.

Hiei could only stand and blink in shock. She was laughing at him? He had all-but-insulted her and she was laughing? Was this girl crazy? She was laughing, completely unguarded, in front of the man who had sworn to kill her and her boyfriend.

_That stupid fox is her boyfriend…correct? Are they? I don't remember the fox mentioning a female in his life…I'm thinking about this too much. _His eyebrow twitched in irritation. _She's still laughing at me. _

"Onna…I fail to see what is so hilarious about this situation."

Yume gasped for air, finally getting her sudden case of the giggles under control. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry, Tree Sprite. It's just…I thought that was very, very funny! Now," she stood up off the ground, dusting off her pants, straightening out her appearance. "Don't I have a fight to win?" she smirked at him.

Hiei was shocked. Not only had this woman, human though she may be, insulted him, laughed at him, and was now teasing him. "Hn. I doubt you shall win this fight."

"Oh, I beg to differ. Though, it will be kind of saddening to punch you in the face. You're so cute, I'd hate to bruise it." She winked at him, giggling. _I can't believe I just giggled. _

Hiei nearly fell off his perch near the top of the building. Had she just…_flirted_ with him? Hiei righted himself and shook his head. "I should kill you for that, onna."

"It's Yume, you vertically challenged chibi!"

"Chibi?" _What in the name of the three kings of Makai is she blathering about?_

"A chibi…is a very small, adorable person that has no nose and is very huggable…" Yume paused. "In fact…" Yume disappeared, momentarily sending Hiei off guard.

Yume reappeared behind him, and…hugged him as hard as she could, yelling "Kawaii!"

Hiei stiffened, his face burning from the heat of the blood rushing over his face to color it a bright red.

Her arms, for some reason unknown to him, were wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his side, his chest pressed into her stomach, the top of his flame-shaped hair just barely tickling her chin.

But what made him the most uncomfortable was the certain area his nose was currently buried in.

_What the hell? What is she doing? Is she actually hugging me? Why? What reason would she have to do this? And why am I blushing so hard? I mean, sure…her chest is very soft…damn, what the hell does she use? She definitely doesn't bind it. Wait a minute, I'm beginning to sound like a pervert…_

Hiei shook his head, trying to get away from her by squirming as hard as he could…needless to say, it didn't work.

Finally, Yume let him go, dropping him to the ground nearly twenty feet below them.

She sighed. "I feel better."

"What the hell was that, onna?" Hiei placed the sharp point of his sword to her neck, good for him she was currently pressed against a wall, they were now near the back of the warehouse, and she had nowhere to go. She was surrounded on all sides by boxes, a wall, and his sword.

"That was called a hug, shorty." She smirked, ignoring the sword pointed at her throat.

Hiei's eyes narrowed, darkening the red of his eyes to a near-black ruby.

He slashed his sword down, meaning to cut her stomach open, but Yume moved a little, accidentally squirming…

The sound of ripping fabric filled the silent air, and Yume's eyes widened as she felt the cool air caressing her newly-exposed skin and the cold steel of Hiei's sword pressing against her skin.

_Oh. No. He. Did. Not. _

She looked down, and saw her shirt had been split right down the middle…what was worse was her bra was a goner too.

Now, Yume didn't usually care if she accidentally gave a guy a pretty good view, but she did care when you tore her shirt to do it.

Hiei's eyes had widened slightly, making the red of his eyes lighten up.

This was a different discovery, according to the shade of his eyes, you could tell what his mood was.

A very light red meant surprise, apparently.

Hiei's eyes roved over her exposed skin, taking in the image in front of him.

Eye candy for any sane (or straight) male.

To say the girl wasn't well endowed would be an outright lie.

He could also see she was lean and toned from all the fighting she did, her skin a nice tan color.

Also, he noticed the way her hair fell into her eyes, shadowing the red-brown orbs.

When she was angry, he noticed that the red in her eyes became more prominent, and he had seen her when she was sad, the brown overpowering the red.

Her hips were shaped well, enhanced by the tight hips of the pants she was wearing, and she wasn't really 'skinny' as you would say. But more…built.

_Hmmm…she is beautiful for a human. And she's been able to divert too much damage from me so far. She is strong. For a human female. Someone like her could make a good bearer of pups. _He smirked, remembering their wager. _I think it's time we add something to make things interesting. _

"Oi, Detective."

"What?" She snapped, obviously unhappy with her shredded shirt.

"I have something new to add to our wager."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, if I win, than you have to become my mate."

"Mate? What's that?"

"A mate for a demon is the human equivalent of marriage."

Yume blinked. _Is this guy serious?_ "Are you serious?"

"Very."

"If you win…then I'd have to…mate you?"

"Well, to mate you I'd have to fuck you first." He said this bluntly, almost like he couldn't really care either way.

"…" Yume was silent. "…Fine. I know that if I try and say 'no way in hell' then you'll just cut my head off. But if I win, you don't even lay a single hand on me, understand?"

"Understood. Now then…" Hiei rose his sword, preparing to strike down.

Yume rushed forward and tackled him around the waist, pushing both of them down into the rubble that was on the floor of the warehouse.

The two landed on the ground with a prominent 'thud'.

Hiei's back exploded in pain, making him cry out momentarily.

_She…tackled me…? Great, now I'm under her and something is poking into my back. _

Of course, he wasn't really complaining about the fact that his face was currently buried in her breasts.

Yume groaned. She hadn't really thought that one through too much. She had just jumped forward.

_Okay, that was stupid. _

She pulled herself up, not noticing that she was straddling Hiei's hips as she pulled her shirt back together.

She sighed and pulled the shirt off entirely, wrapping the remains around her chest and tying it off, making a make-shift tube-top.

"There. Now," she looked down at the demon beneath her, smirking. "Well, looks like Mr. High-and-Mighty is caught." She knew that not many guys could really move when their hips were caught. The only thing that could move without popping it out of place was his arms, and his sword had fallen out of his hands during the fall, lost amongst the rubble.

Hiei snickered. She thought she had him. _What a foolish human. _

Yume noticed the snicker. "What? You got a problem, shorty?"

"No. Actually, I'm quite enjoying this." He smirked at her. "I know for a fact that many men like being trapped under females."

Yume quirked an eyebrow. "Say wha?"

Hiei's smirk widened, and he thrust his hips up.

Yume jumped, not holding back a yelp. "Hey! Don't do-Yeep!"

He did it again, hips grinding against hers.

She gulped. She'd never done anything anywhere near this.

_What the hell is going on? I mean…he isn't going to rape me, is he?_

During her moment of confusion, he flipped them over, pinning her under him.

Yume yelped, and then cursed quite vividly for a human female.

Hiei snickered. "Language, language."

"Oh shut up!" she snapped. She hated to admit it, but she was trapped. This guys' hold was unbreakable by her human strength, even though she was stronger than your average human female. There was no way she'd be able to get out from under him.

She squirmed, trying to find an opening. Nothing.

She blinked when she felt something very sharp prick against her neck.

She looked down, seeing his claws at her neck. She gulped.

"If you're going to kill me go ahead…"

Hiei stared down at the girl underneath him, his claws at her slender, soft throat.

_All I have to do is move my hand, move my hand across her neck and she's dead. _

But that little nagging voice in Hiei's head decided to pipe up.

But you can't kill her, can you?

_What makes you think I can't? I can so, all I have to do is move my hand. _

But you won't. You don't want to kill her. She intrigues you. She is unafraid of you. She can hold her own against you in a fight. Hell, she can even laugh at you and not fear death. She hugged you. She said you were adorable. Now that was funny, if I do say so myself. 

_Shut up. I am not adorable. _(A/N: Now, who here thinks Hiei is adorable? I thought so.)

Apparently she thinks so. Come on, admit it. You like her. 

_I don't like anybody. I never have, and I never will. _

But you want to. You want someone to accept you. To love you. To say that you mean something to them. 

_Shut up…shut up…SHUT UP! I don't need anyone! I don't need someone to accept me, I don't need someone to love me! I don't want anyone to love me! I'm happy being alone! I don't need anyone! I don't need anyone! _

You can keep telling yourself that, but you know that it's not true. Denial, thy name is Hiei. 

_No it's not. I'm not in denial. I can't. No one. No one would ever love me. They couldn't. I'm a thief, a convict, a murderer…too many things. I won't let anyone love me. I'll kill myself and that person before I let that happen. _

But you can't kill the one person who would actually accept you. 

Hiei's eyes widened, his claws receding from her neck.

Yume blinked. _Why hasn't he killed me yet? _

She looked up at him, only to have her eyes widen. His eyes, usually an untainted ruby red, were fighting with an icy blue, as if he was having an internal conflict. "Hiei?" she whispered.

Hiei looked down at her, eyes finally red, his claws receding. "I…Damn it!" Hiei yelled, slamming his fist down, narrowly missing her head.

Yume gasped, feeling the cracks in the concrete near her head. He looked so angry. But it wasn't at her. It was at himself. He was angry with himself.

_Can he…not kill me? Is that why he's so angry? He can't kill me for some odd reason? _

Hiei growled. "Onna…why? Why can't I kill you!"

She blinked. "Nani?"

Hiei picked her up, placing her in a sitting/leaning position against the wall. _What is he doing?_

"Onna, I'll let you go and give you the sword. If you can pass a small test."

"What test?" she questioned.

"This." Hiei's hand cupped the back of her neck, making her lean her head back, and his lips claimed hers in a hot, fierce kiss.

Yume gasped, opening her mouth on accident.

His tongue slipped in, caressing every corner of her mouth, memorizing every crevice.

She whimpered. This was so different from Kurama's kiss. That had been gentle and chaste, like him.

But Hiei's kiss…it was so wild. Hot, alluring, arousing.

Yume whimpered again, but allowed her eyes to close, responding to his kiss, her tongue wrestling with his.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

For some odd reason, she felt so warm. She never wanted him to stop kissing her.

_God he's so tense…_Yume slid her hands over his chest, which was bare from their fight, him having taken his cloak off. Her hands slipped to his back, massaging it with her fingers.

Hiei groaned, pressing his mouth harder against hers. What the hell was she doing to him?

He felt her legs shift, moving one between his legs, adding to an already growing problem.

_Maybe I should stop…or maybe not…_he groaned as her lips left his only to slip to his neck, suckling and biting. _Oh god, she's hitting my weak spot…_So get her back. _Okay. _

Hiei groaned again as she sucked on his neck, his hand slipping up to feel the soft warmth of her breast, hand kneading it.

Yume gasped. No one had ever touched her there and lived. But…for some odd reason she didn't mind when he did it.

Hiei groaned again, her ministrations on his neck becoming nearly unbearable as she kissed up to his ear, sucking on his earlobe, her warm breath caressing it. He shivered. _Damn, if I don't stop soon, I'm gonna end up fucking her. _Why not? You want to…_Uh, hello! I may be a demon, but I don't believe in rape. Sure, I'd get a kick out of it. But I'd like to keep my dick thank you! _

Finally, Hiei pulled back from her. "You passed." He smirked.

Yume shook her head. "Whoa…I mean…whoa…"

Hiei's smirk widened, he leaned in and kissed her again, softly this time. He whispered in her ear. "I'll see you later, Yume." He then disappeared.

So after that, Yume had returned the three items, saved Kurama's ass yet again, and told him what happened (leaving out the fact that she and Hiei had made out with each other.).

She just said that she fought him, and he had come close to killing her, but she had stolen the sword and he had run off.

And that was that. Even though Koenma still got in trouble. (As usual.)

A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter. Sorry it took so long to get out!)


	9. Mission 4: Saint Beast Saga

Hi everyone! This is probably the last update I'll be putting up for a while…y'see, I'm going to St. Louis for a week. From August 1-5. PLEASE DON'T EAT ME!

I promise I'll try to make this chapter as long as I can…I hope none of you hurt me…but, since I absolutely HATED the Genkai Tournament, I'm going to skip it and go straight to the Saint Beasts. Anyone have a problem with that:looks: Okay. Those who rose their hands…too bad! Also, I'll be writing the next few chapters in my notebooks while I'm at school…my school days start on the eighth of August, so I'm going to just write them and then type them up as fast as I can. Okay? Please don't be made at me!

I started writing this after I got mad at a friend.

She's obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons, and she invited all of our friends BUT me over to play. Her excuse was, when I called to talk to her like I always do, that she thought I didn't really like D&D. Thing is, not long ago, I specifically told her that the next time she was holding a D&D thing, I wanted to join in so I could learn how to play. I just don't like it when she starts talking about it without me understanding what the HELL is going on!

Sorry, I had to rant a little. I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me about this chapter. I'm not good with fight scenes, as you can probably tell by now. But I will try my best with actually doing it justice.

Also, here are the votings so far for the pairings. And I've been getting some interesting votes.

Kurama: 30

Hiei: 32

Jin: 26

Kurama/Yusuke/Hiei: (I asked every friend I knew about this one, and they all voted) 34

(Damn, that's just wrong!...I mean, getting that many votes for it.)

Kurama/Yusuke/Hiei/Jin: If you want this one, you'll have to help me, Drache! I couldn't do something like this myself. For anyone that wants me to do this, I'm planning on writing a separate YoY on MediaMiner with this pairing. Would anyone be willing to help me?

There are going to be a lot of little twists in this chapter, making it a little more interesting in my opinion. The chapter will be my longest yet. It will be divided into Parts, 1-6. But it will all be one large post. Okay? I decided to re-introduce 'Yusuke' back into the idea. You'll see how in a minute.

Now, I'm going to add a moment or two in here for the Hiei/Yume fans. Okay? Hope you all are happy for it.

Yume's gonna start getting confused though, I guess.

Now, without further ado, the chapter!

Yusuke or Yume Chapter Nine: Mission Four: Maze Castle

Part One: Gate of Betrayal 

Yume stared up at the sky, lazily walking home from training camp.

Every bone in her body hurt from all of the training, but it was well worth it. She had learned so much from Genkai. And even though she was strict and a hard slave driver, she knew when she was about to drive Yume to her limit.

Yume looked up and saw a familiar blue and orange form a few feet away.

She broke out in a grin. "Kuwabara!" she ran forward, jumping up on his back, hugging him to death.

Kuwabara yelped. "Urameshi! Is that you!"

"Yeah it's me, what have you been up to?" she laughed.

"Nothing. Been boring around here without you. Now, can you get off my back?"

"Aw, come on, Kuwa! I like it up here!" she laughed again. For some odd reason, she felt really happy that day. Maybe it was being through with all of her training and coming back home, but she felt…exhilarated and happy. Like she never wanted to stop laughing.

"Oh, and did you hear?"

"What?"

"That Hiei guy you were chasing after? Well, he got arrested by those weird guys from Spirit World. He's been on trial for a week. So has that redhead dude."

"You mean…they got Kurama…?" suddenly, she didn't feel as jovial. She got off Kuwabara's back, looking at the ground.

"What's the matter, Urameshi? Were you and that redheaded guy friends or something?"

"Yeah. We were friends. And now I feel bad. I mean…I got him arrested. I know it was my job and stuff…but still." She stopped and looked behind her. _We're being followed. _

"Hey, Kuwabara?"

"Yeah?"

"You wanna go to the store with me for a minute, I need to go and get something."

"Uh, sure…"

The two walked down the street, Kuwabara saying something random every few seconds.

Kuwabara looked over at his best friend/rival.

She sure didn't look much different, except for the fact that her hair was even longer and her eyes seemed…older. Like she'd aged while she was training with Genkai.

When she had first jumped onto his back, her hair had been free from its usual ponytail or braid, but as they walked, she braided it absentmindedly. She was wearing her usual white tank top and blue jeans with tennis shoes and a jean jacket.

Kuwabara watched with amused eyes at his friend.

The way she kept braiding and un-braiding her hair, you could tell that her long hair, which was unusual for a street fighter, was her pride and joy.

She finally pulled out about a million different little hair ties and put her hair up in a ponytail, putting a million and two different braids into it.

"Hey, Urameshi, maybe you should just cut your hair and get it over with."

"No way! I don't want to look more like a boy than I already do!"

"So what did you wanna go shopping for, anyway? Y'need some itching cream or something?"

Yume rolled her eyes as they stopped outside a corner store. "Wait here." She stepped inside.

Kuwabara's eyes followed the girl as she made her way down the aisles. He knew that she had her reputation for shoplifting, and she didn't care.

A few seconds later, Yume grabbed something off a shelf and went to…pay for it!

The clerk smiled at her, and Yume smiled back, putting the item on the table.

Kuwabara gulped and blushed when he saw what it was.

_Urameshi uses tampons! _

After paying, Yume put the small box in her backpack, and left. "Well, c'mon, Kuwabara!"

Kuwabara shook his head. _Oh right. I keep forgetting that Urameshi's a girl. I guess that's why I always fight her. Cause she doesn't act like a girl most of the time. She always tries to hide the fact she's a girl, I guess. Kinda hard, though. _

Yume looked back at him. "C'mon! I said c'mon, Kuwabara!"

"Coming!"

Yume looked too serious for his liking.

"What's the matter?"

"We're being followed."

Kuwabara looked behind them, and saw the blue-skinned boys.

"Well. I guess we'd better give them an Urameshi and Kuwabara greeting."

Yume grinned. "Sure."

Yume led the way to a clear alley, and her fist started to glow.

"Is this one of your new tricks?" Kuwabara asked.

"I'll take that as a stupid question… Shot Gun!" she yelled, thrusting her fist forward, causing bullets of her Spirit Energy to shoot from her fist, hitting all of the thugs.

"Whoa…that was amazing Urameshi!"

"It's my Shot Gun." She smirked.

She looked down at the boys, and saw bugs come up and out of the guys mouth.

"Ewwww!" she yelled. She might not have been the most girly-like girl on the planet, but like any girl, she loathed bugs. "Please tell me I did not just see a bug come out of that guys' mouth?"

"Oh stop acting like such a girl Urameshi!"

"Shut up!"

"Okay, break it up!" said a girls' voice that wasn't Yume's.

The two turned and saw Botan, a bat over her shoulder. "There you two are. I see you've noticed the Makai insects."

"Ma-what?" Yume blinked.

"Makai insects. They burrow into a person's body and bring out all their inner anger and self hatred. This has to do with your new mission, Yume. And Kuwabara had better help you as well. You'll need all the help you can get. Apparently, the Four Saint Beasts, a group of rulers over a city called the City of Ghosts and Apparitions, are ordering that the barrier between their city and the Human World should be taken down. They're the ones who are sending the insects, using a certain Whistle. You need to defeat the Saint Beasts, Genbu, Byakko, Seryuu, and Suzaku, and destroy the whistle."

Yume blinked at the names. "Those names sound familiar…Hey! Those are the names of the Chinese Gods! Genbu of stone, Byakko of the Tiger, Seryuu the Ice Dragon, and Suzaku the Phoenix!"

Botan was surprised, and didn't try to hide it. "How did you know that?"

"Fushigi Yuugi." Yume stated simply.

Botan face-faulted. "Ow. That hurt. Come on."

Yume shrugged, following.

After a few minutes of following Botan, they came upon a small portal hidden underneath a tile. "There. There's your way into the City. Get in and get out, Yume. We don't want you to get killed. Oh, and also," Botan pulled out her communicators. "Here." She handed one to Yume. "Thanks. Let me guess, communicators?"

"Yep. Also, Koenma wanted me to give you this." She handed her a necklace.

It was a leather strip with a small red jewel on the end surrounded by a fox and a dragon, like the two were protecting a treasure. "Put it on, Yume."

Yume did as she was told, and felt a shift in her body. She looked down, seeing no chest…instead seeing a boys' body. "What the hell! What happened? I'm a guy!"

"Yes, Yume. Koenma thought it would be easier on you if you could take on the form of a boy on your missions. This way, the demons won't be able to track you down in Human world. He already picked a boy name for you. Yusuke Urameshi. Tell Kuwabara about it, too. He can still just call you Urameshi. But we think this will keep you safe longer. Now get going!"

Yume, er, Yusuke, rolled his eyes and jumped, falling through the green and black swirls of the tunnel.

He landed to the floor of the dirt with a loud 'oomph,' but brushed himself off and looked into a nearby puddle of water.

_God, is this what I look like as a guy? My hair is so short…and…my eyes…what the hell happened! I don't like being a guy! It feels weird. Now I'm taller, though. God, I'm almost as tall as Kurama now…_At the thought of his redheaded friend, Yusuke sobered up a little more.

(I can't remember the names of those stupid little creatures…so I'm not even going to bother with naming them.)

Yusuke stood and looked around, taking in the barren wasteland and stone-built city they were surrounded by. "So, this is the City of Ghosts and Apparitions? Homey."

Kuwabara shook his head. "C'mon, Urameshi…" he then paused… "Urameshi? What the hell happened to you!"

"In short, Koenma came up with the idea that it would be easier for my missions if I were to be a guy. Apparently guys can fight better or something like that. It's an illusion…I think."

Suddenly, a bunch of purple-cloaked things with pointy teeth came popping out of the ground and started attacking them.

Yusuke knocked a few out, but one bit into his arm. "Yeowch! Hey leggo ya purple freak!" He shook it off.

"It looks like you could be in need of some assistance." Said a calm, amused voice.

One second, there were about twenty of the purple things there, next second, there weren't any in sight.

Yusuke looked up and smirked. "Well, well, well…the thieves."

Two figures jumped down from a tree's branches, landing in front of them.

Kurama bowed… "Yume? What on earth?"

Hiei blinked. "I'd like to know the same thing."

"Oh…you mean as to why I'm a guy?"

The two thieves nodded.

"Well, it's an illusion." Yusuke slipped the necklace off and turned back into Yume. "Y'see?"

Kurama looked a little relieved for some reason.

Hiei was just wierded out. "If you two can't handle those creatures, then we're going to have some serious problems."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever Tree Sprite. Oh, and you two?"

"Hm?" That came from Kurama and Hiei.

"Don't call me 'Yume' in this form. My male name is Yusuke. Don't call me anything else but Urameshi, Yusuke, or Detective in the castle, okay?"

The two demons nodded.

Kurama was just out-right confused.

So was Hiei, even though he wouldn't mention it.

"So…what are you guys doing here?" Yusuke asked, having put the necklace back on. (When she has the necklace on, it's HE and YUSUKE. When it's off, it's SHE and YUME. Okay? Good. This way people don't get confused.)

"Koenma has assured that in aiding you in this mission, we can help to clean our slates in Spirit World."

"So you guys are on parole?" he smirked.

Kurama glared half-heartedly. "Oh be quiet."

"Make me, Fox-Face!"

Hiei rolled his eyes. "How have I put up with you two?"

Kuwabara was confused. "Okay, I don't really understand what's going on, but it's nice to have a helping hand."

Hiei rolled his eyes. "Don't expect me to be of much help. I just want to kill one of the Saint Beasts. To me, we are merely baby-sitting."

Yusuke rolled his eyes right back, then leaned in and whispered in his ear. "Last time we met, I don't remember you being the one 'sitting'."

Hiei's eyes widened. "Don't bring that up." He muttered so Kurama couldn't hear them whilst talking to Kuwabara.

"Why not? You're the one who kissed me. I haven't forgotten that Hiei. And I will get back at you."

Hiei smirked and looked up at his still red-brown eyes. "I don't remember you complaining."

Yusuke blushed. "Oh shut up." Then he pulled away. "C'mon, guys! Let's get going and get this over with."

Kurama nodded.

The other two followed them, making their way towards Maze Castle.

They paused at the gateway, looking at the…interesting formation of an open dragon's mouth.

"Well…nice décor." Muttered Yusuke.

The foursome walked inside the gateway, only to be stopped near the open door by a small, bat-winged eyeball. Welcome to Maze Castle. The lords graciously welcome you. But before you can go further, you must first be tried by the Gate of Betrayal.

"The what?" Yusuke asked, but a lurching sound of gears alerted him to attention, as did Kurama's yell.

"The ceiling!"

The others looked up, and caught the ceiling from crashing down on them just in time.

Quite heavy, isn't it? A very sensitive workmanship of gears in the walls attunes the weight to be just to the near-breaking point of each fighters' strength. But there is a catch. Just enough leeway is left for one of you to slip through, leaving the other to be crushed. That is why it's called the Gate of Betrayal, you see? Insist on team work and you will fail. 

It flew away, cackling.

"Oh how I'd love to get my hands on that eyeball…" Kuwabara grunted, almost loosing his hold.

Hiei yelped. "Concentrate on the weight or you'll kill us all!"

"I'm probably holding a lot more than you are, shorty!"

"Would you both shut up!" this yell came from Kurama, who was getting irritated very quickly.

Hiei knew to shut up.

Yusuke groaned. "This is not good. Anybody got any ideas?"

Hiei snorted. "Well I'm not about to die for the sake of you humans!"

"Don't even consider it, Hiei!" Kurama ground out.

Yusuke looked out of the hole in the wall, seeing a lever. "If only we could reach that lever…" his eyes widened, gaining an idea. "Hiei!"

"What?"

"You're the fastest out of all of us. You can run out there and pull the lever. I can use my Spirit Energy to hold up your part of the wall for a minute."

Kuwabara was first to react to this. "Urameshi! Are you insane! You can't trust him! He'll probably just run out there and forget all about us!"

Hiei smirked. "The fool's right, Yusuke. I've already vowed to kill you, what makes you think I won't use that vow now?"

Yusuke smirked at him. "Because I trust you, Hiei. And I know that quick deaths aren't exactly your style." He started to glow with his Spirit Energy. "Now GO!"

Hiei looked shocked, but shook himself out of it, running out of the falling ceiling faster than you could blink, arriving at the lever, hand on it. He paused.

"What are you waiting for, Hiei!" Yusuke yelled.

Why bother saving them, Hiei? 

Hiei looked up, seeing the purple winged-eye.

If you just let them die, and pledge allegiance to the Saint Beasts, you could become General of our demon army. What do you say? Beg for mercy now, and we let you live. 

Hiei snorted, suddenly slashing the eye. "Tell your masters this, if they want to live through my comrades and mine's attack on them, then it should be them begging for mercy!" he pulled the lever.

Yusuke and the others climbed out from under the wall, sighing with relief.

Yusuke smiled. "Well, you put up a good act with that whole 'not gonna pull the lever act'."

"That wasn't an act. But it occurred to me at the last moment that I would need you to defeat the Saint Beasts. Nothing more than that." He turned and started walking away.

Kurama smiled. "That's his way of saying 'You're welcome'. You will learn."

Yusuke shook his head. "Stupid Tree Sprite. Well, let's get going people!"

A/N: Well, there it is. That's the last update you guys are gonna get for the next…well, for a while. You can still vote people! Don't forget! PLEASE VOTE!


	10. Part Two: Kurama vs Genbu

Part Two: Genbu Versus Kurama 

The four made their way down the stone halls, Yusuke noticing that the torches only lit once you reached them.

"This place scares the bejeezus outta me." Yusuke muttered, rubbing his arms.

"Oh don't be such a girl, Urameshi." Kuwabara said.

Yusuke glared. "Did you forget?"

"Oh…yeah…sorry."

"Forgiven. Now, where is that first damned Saint Beast?"

"Welcome!" a loud voice boomed.

Yusuke blinked. "Well, that answers that question."

A pair of large doors opened, revealing a stone room….again.

The four stepped into the room, looking around.

"Welcome, I am Genbu, the first of the Four Saint Beasts." Said a huge guy made of stone…not the prettiest thing in the world. "Do any of you have any questions before you die?"

"Yeah, how's a Beast a Saint, I'm lost." Yusuke muttered, being sarcastic as always.

"Why don't all four of you attack me at once, so the last one standing won't feel left out?"

Kurama smiled softly. "I'll take him. It would be unwise for all of us to die in the first round."

Yusuke seemed ready to argue while Kurama walked away, but Hiei stopped him.

"Don't worry about Kurama. Genbu will be dead in ten minutes. Do you wonder why I chose him as my partner? So I wouldn't have to fight him myself. Kurama's more cutthroat then I am when it comes to battle, and unbelievably precise. You'd be amazed at what he can hide behind that 'gentle' façade."

"So you want to die one by one, do you? I can do that too."

With that, the first fight began…

Kurama stood, calm as ever, not twenty feet from Genbu. He held back the urge to cover his nose and wrinkle it in disgust from the disgusting odor.

He readied himself, but Yusuke yelled something.

Kurama looked behind himself and jumped out of the way of the sharp-ended appendage flying his way. But the edge caught his side and created quite a large slash.

Kurama dodged every attack from Genbu, but was having trouble guessing where the tail or the other pieces of stone were coming from.

Finally, Genbu managed to cut him across the chest.

"Oof!" he landed to the floor, holding his chest.

"Kurama!" yelled Yusuke.

"Well, it seems that you bouncing around like a jack rabbit isn't helping you any, is it?" Genbu growled.

Kurama chuckled. "Yes, Genbu. It appears you're right." He flipped his hair, pulling out a rose.

Yusuke blinked. "A flower? What the?"

"Now that's weird, if he's gonna try to win Genbu over, I don't think that will work out too well."

Hiei snickered.

"It's no ordinary flower." Kurama stated, standing up. The petals from the rose started to swirl around him, flowing around the room. "Rose whip!" Kurama said, flicking his wrist, causing a whip to form from the stem of the rose.

Yusuke looked up, now surrounded by rose petals. "Well, everything's coming up roses."

"It smells girly, I don't think I like it."

"Oh, so I guess he should be a big tough guy like you and be obsessed with kittens?"

"Shut up!"

Kurama used the whip to slice Genbu into a million pieces with his Rose Whiplash.

But Genbu merely pulled himself back together.

It took Kurama nearly three tries to finally grab a blinking stone.

When Genbu pulled himself back together, he looked like a Picasso painting gone wrong.

Kurama smiled and held up the blinking stone. "Looking for this?" he shattered it, making Genbu fall to pieces.

Kurama sighed, falling to his knees.

"Kurama! Man, are you okay?" Yusuke asked, helping Kurama up.

"I'm fine, Yusuke. But it would appear that I won't be fit to fight another Saint for a while."

"This is a problem, with Kurama injured, we're going to have some issues." Said Hiei, obviously slightly worried about his friend/partner.

Yusuke nodded. "C'mon, Kurama. Can you walk?"

"I'm just fine, Yusuke." Kurama stood, snickering. "With the way you act, people would think you were my girlfriend, or something of that nature."

Yusuke blushed faintly. "Oh shut up, Fox-Boy you wish. And if we were together, _you'd _be the chick in the relationship."

When Yusuke said that, it brought Kurama's attention back to the fact that 'Yume' was currently a guy.

_Now I feel stupid. I shouldn't have said that. _

"You forgot again, didn't you?" Yusuke muttered, burying his face in a hand.

Kurama laughed nervously. "Uh…yeah."

"Baka kitsune." Muttered both Yusuke and Hiei.

Kurama looked between the two. "I'm being ambushed!" he muttered, mock-fainting.

Yusuke caught him. "C'mon, Fox-Boy."

"All right! The next fight is mine!" yelled Kuwabara.


	11. Part Three: Kuwabara vs Byakko

Part Three: Byakko Versus Kuwabara 

The quartet raced up the stairs, finally reaching a huge lava pit with a few stone parapets standing out of it.

A humongous tiger stood at the other end. "Welcome to my domain. I am Byakko, the second Saint Beast. Genbu was weak, and I will not be defeated as easily."

Hiei rose an eyebrow. "A mountain of stone, a huge kitten…which of these beasts are going to look even remotely normal?"

Yusuke snorted.

Kuwabara jumped forward, yelling his usual stupidity. "You're gonna die, ya overgrown tiger cub!"

( I never paid attention to this episode, so I don't know what happened. Sorry. I really didn't really pay attention to most of the Saint Beast saga. Sorry!)

After Kuwabara nearly got eaten by those weird tiger-boar things and made a Donut out of them, he finally got down to fighting Byakko.

Of course, he almost fell into the stupid lava pit a few times, but he finally was able to make Byakko fall in, making Kuwabara hold on to the side of the stone with his jacket.

Yusuke spent a good five minutes yelling at him for making him worry, showing that he was in truth a girl when he almost started crying. (I know Yume doesn't act a lot like Yusuke, but that's because becoming a girl does a lot to a guys attitude.)

Kurama and the others helped Kuwabara up and they were finally able to make their way to the third room.


	12. Part Four: Hiei vs Seryuu

Part Four: Seryuu Versus Hiei 

The four were silent as they walked down the stone halls of Maze castle.

"Well…two down and two to go." Kuwabara muttered.

"Yeah." Yusuke's stomach growled. "Oops."

Kurama laughed. "Well, that sure was a moment-breaker."

Yusuke laughed nervously. "Yeah, I guess so."

He reached back and pulled out his backpack, pulling out some food. "Anybody else hungry? I've got more."

"Well, why don't we just take a break and eat a little?" Kurama smiled, sitting down, making sure not to irritate his wound.

Hiei sat down as well, as did Kuwabara and Yusuke, the four of them sitting in a square.

Kuwabara sat near Kurama, across from Hiei. Kurama was sitting across from Yusuke, who was next to Hiei. (Get it?)

Yusuke took out some chips and fruits and stuff. He also had some soda shoved into a miniature cooler in his bag.

"Yusuke how did you fit all of this in your backpack?" Kurama asked as he munched on a bag of Sour Cream and Cheddar chips, an apple, and a Dr. Pepper.

"That's a secret that I'm not about to tell you." Yusuke smirked, sipping his Red Cream Soda. In his other hand was a bag of Funyuns.

Suddenly, the chorus of Lonely No More by Rob Thomas belted out from his bag.

"Oops." He reached in and pulled out a small black and silver cell phone, and flipped it open. "Urameshi."

**Yume? Yume? That doesn't sound like you! What's going on! Who are you! What have you done to my baby!**

Yusuke winced. "Uh-oh…it's my mom."

Kurama snickered, as did Hiei. Being called by your mother on a mission didn't seem very cool.

Very quickly, Yusuke took off his necklace. Yume sighed. "Mother, I'm right here."

**Dear? Who was that man that was just on? **

"That was one of my friends mother. He decided to answer my phone as a joke."

**Oh okay. Yume, where are you? Are you still at that Training Camp of yours? **

"No mother. I'm out with some friends." Yume looked over at Kuwabara. "Hey! Kuwabara! Stop teasing Hiei…oops…too late. Kurama! A little help!"

"Certainly." Kurama rose to stop the problem, meaning he grabbed Hiei from chasing Kuwabara around the corridor for calling him short again.

**Dear? It sounds like you're surrounded by boys…**

"Uh…" Yume blushed.

Kurama and Hiei noticed this.

"Mother, it's not what you think!"

**Whatever dear, but remember, if you're going to start doing group sex, make sure to use protection! **

Kurama then dropped Hiei. "What the hell!"

If Yume were blushing any harder, her head would explode. "MOTHER! They're just friends!"

**Dear, are you with that redheaded man that kissed you a few weeks ago? **

Yume blushed, not meeting Kurama's eyes. "Yeah…"

**Oh, he tried calling you while you were gone. He tried every day. He started to panic when I said I hadn't seen you for near a month. **

"Oh really?" Yume drawled, looking over at Kurama.

"What did I do?" he muttered.

"Well, I didn't know he would be that worried about me. That's so sweet." She smiled.

**Honey, did you get a boyfriend and not tell me? **

Yume laughed. "No mother, Shuichi is not my boyfriend….nor is Hiei. Don't you EVEN bring up Kuwabara!"

**Okay. I was just wondering where you were. I can be a good mother sometimes, can't I? **

Yume smiled sadly. Yeah, she could be a great mother when it counted. "Yeah mom. Don't worry about me. I'm not gonna leave you again."

**I love you, Sai-chan. **

"I love you too, mom. Yeah, I'll be careful. Bye." Yume hung up, putting her necklace back on.

Yusuke looked up, seeing Kurama and Hiei snickering.

"What?"

"Sai-chan?" the two chorused.

He glared. "Shut up. Childhood nickname."

"But Sai isn't a part of your name…" Kurama muttered.

Kuwabara decided to pipe up now. "Oh, Urameshi's full name is Saiyume Ariashika Urameshi."

Yusuke stiffened. "Shut up!" he punched Kuwabara. "Jeeze, baka!"

Kurama blinked. "Why are you so mad, Yusuke? Your name is so…cute."

"I'm not CUTE!" Yusuke yelled.

"So, what was your mother talking about that had you looking at the fox, _Sai-chan_?" Hiei drawled.

"Uh…oh, she said that Kurama started to get a little panicky when he found out that my mother hadn't seen me around anywhere for near a month." He grinned at Kurama. "Oh, that is so sweet!"

Kurama blushed, looking at the ground. "Oh, shut up. Let's get going."

Yusuke snickered. "Whatever Captain Pretty."

"What!"

Yusuke laughed, running ahead of the now-miffed kitsune.

"Did he just say…?"

"Yep." Hiei answered.

"Okay, so I'm not going deaf."

"That was a little weird." Kuwabara muttered.

"Yep."

"C'mon you three! Let's get going! I wanna get outta here as soon as possible!"

"Coming, Yusuke!"

The three hurried to meet up with their team leader. Fully ready to handle the next task.

The next door was decorated with ice dragons.

"This must be Seryuu." Yusuke muttered.

"How did you know that, Yusuke?" Kurama asked.

"Well, Seryuu is the Chinese god of water and ice, taking the shape of a dragon. It would make sense."

Kurama blinked. _So he's not a total loss. _

The doors opened by themselves, like always, and the quartet stepped into the VERY cold room.

A blue-skinned man, and not the handsomest guy ever might Yusuke say, stood wearing all blue and silver. "Welcome. I am—"

"Seryuu, the third Saint Beast. Yeah, we know. Let's just get this over with!" Yusuke grumped.

A sudden very loud thumping came from behind them, revealing a charred Byakko.

"S-Seryuu…help me…they…tricked me…they…"

Seryuu rolled his eyes and spat on Byakko, the single drop of saliva spreading ice over the body of the overgrown blue-ish white tiger. Seryuu punched him, shattering him into a thousand pieces, his head cleanly coming off fully encased in the ice.

Yusuke's fist shook. "How could you do that? He was your comrade!"

Kurama looked at the head of Byakko. "Apparently there is no honor amongst the Saint Beasts."

Yusuke stepped forward to fight Seryuu when Hiei stopped him. "No, Yusuke. This is my fight. You need to save your energy to fight Suzaku." Hiei pulled off his cloak, throwing it over in the direction of Byakko's head, 'incidentally' covering it.

"Hah! A sentimental gesture? From you, Hiei? I would have expected you to step on it. Like I would have done." Seryuu laughed coldly.

"Hn." Was Hiei's only answer.

Seryuu raced forward, punching Hiei's leg, which froze immediately on contact.

Hiei jumped around, despite this, a mere blur to the untrained eye.

One second, Seryuu stood whole, the next he fell into many pieces.

Hiei sheathed his sword, melting the ice off his leg. "Stupid. Underestimated me."

Yusuke blinked. "Man, how many times did you slice him?"

"16."

"Damn, I was only able to count eleven!" Yusuke laughed.

Kurama chuckled. "Well, that's better than me and Kuwabara! I only caught the first slice."

Kuwabara nodded in agreement.

Yusuke looked at the door that had stood behind Seryuu.

"Well…it's time for the final Saint Beast."

The others nodded.

"Let's go!" Yusuke yelled, walking towards the door, and pulling it open.


	13. Part Five: Yusuke vs Suzaku

Part Five: Yusuke Versus Suzaku

The four ran down the hallway, but were stopped by a bunch of veggie humans blocking their path.

Yusuke growled. "Damn it! We don't have time for this!"

"Yusuke! You run ahead!" Kurama called to his friend. "We'll hold them back and help you as soon as we can!"

Yusuke nodded, and decided to use his favorite way of travel. He jumped, landing on the head of a Veggie-Guy, he firmly jumped up a couple of guys, going up the stairs by bouncing off their heads.

"That boys' a monkey, I swear." Kurama muttered, before going back to slashing the Veggie-Guys apart.

Yusuke ran up the stairs, finally making it through the stupid Veggie Heads.

He pushed through the very end, ran across a stone courtyard, and up a thousand and three stone steps.

_Is everything in here made of stone?_

Finally, he was able to open the door that would lead him to Suzaku. He kicked open the door. "Suzaku!" he yelled.

He looked around the room, only to see…

_Whoa! Damn, finally I meet a cute guy in this castle and I've gotta kill him! What god up there hates me? _(Okay, you've gotta admit, Suzaku is hot.)

Suzaku sat there on his throne, calm as could be. "Well, it's nice to meet you Yusuke." He stood, allowing Yusuke to see him fully.

His golden-blonde hair sticking up every which way with two red strands hanging in front of his face, a red tunic that hung down between his legs, white slacks…and very girlish violet eyes.

He was a pretty-boy, no doubt about it.

"Now, Yusuke. I believe you're here to destroy my whistle?" Suzaku asked in a conversational tone.

"Yeah. Now hand it over and I won't have to beat your face in!"

"Ah-ah-ah. I don't do that, Yusuke. Sorry." Suzaku gave him a cruel smile. "You'll have to kill me first."

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Always with the 'I'd rather die' comments. Stop being boring! Everyone who says that dies!"

Suzaku snorted. "Well, that didn't tell me you were so sarcastic. So, I take it these are your friends?" the screen behind him lit up with an image of Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara.

"Yeah…what of it?"

"Well…I got a little bored."

Yusuke looked closer at the screen and saw Makai insects flying around them, with them constantly swatting at them to keep them away while trying to fight off the Veggie Heads.

"Hey! Call your stupid Pest Brigade off of them!"

"But they're coming up here to help you. Not that it will do you much good." Suzaku smirked. "Now, shall we get on with our fight?"

Yusuke growled. "Okay, Suzaku. Let's get started. Spirit Gun!"

Suzaku was taken by surprise and got hit by the bullet. He flew back, hitting the wall, sliding to the floor. "Ugh. Well, you're quick." He wiped a bit of blood off his chin from biting his lip. "But, I've been wanting to try this on someone again." His body became surrounded by orange-yellow lightning, forming a bow and arrow. "Storm of Torment!"

Yusuke screamed as the lightning surrounded him, the arrow shooting over her shoulder and hitting right on. Unfortunately, it cut through the string of his necklace, making it fall to the ground and shatter.

Yume fell to the ground, gasping for breath as the pain spread like fire through her very veins.

Suzaku blinked. "So, you're a girl? Well, that makes things interesting."

Yume gasped, looking down. "Shit! Koenma's gonna shoot me!" _If I don't die from this first! _

Suzaku smirked. "Y'know, since I'm so bored right now, I think I'll make the odds even worse for you." Suzaku concentrated. "Prism of Seven!"

Suddenly, there were seven Suzaku's.

_Just great. I was having a hard time with just one Suzaku. Now there's seven! I'm dead! Again!_

The seven powered up, and shot the Prism Storm of Torment at Yume, who screamed bloody-damned-murder.

She fell to the floor, her outfit torn and ripped, blood dripping onto the gray stone. She gasped, trying to stand up. She ignored the pain that erupted in her legs and back, pushing herself up to stand.

But two of the Suzaku's grabbed her arms, holding her in place.

She squirmed. "Let me go!" she yelled, concentrating all of her Spirit Energy.

With one blast, she screamed. "Shot Gun!"

The bullets flew everywhere, hitting all of the Suzaku's…and most of them, except for one, disappeared.

Yume collapsed to the floor, completely out of Spirit Energy. _Damn it…I can hardly move…maybe that wasn't such a good idea. _

Yume saw the whistle by her, the little bird Muroku, trying to keep her from it.

Yume crawled towards the whistle, only to have her hand stepped on by Suzaku's foot.

Suzaku wiped the blood off his face. "Well, Yusuke…it seems that you don't want to die. Why not? I mean, do you have anything to live for? Who in that world has proved that they loved you? Who has said that they cared? Has anyone risked their lives for yours? Or has it always been you giving and not getting anything in return? Your friends are about to die, you do know that. Or are they even your friends? Can you call them that?"

Yume blinked through her haze of pain. _What is he talking about…but he does have a point…I guess. I mean…damn, I…_

Don't you even start thinking like that, Yume! Came Hiei's voice in her head.

_Hiei?_

No, it's the stupid Easter Bunny. Of course it's me! How many of your friends are telepaths?

_Uh…is that a tough question?_

Stop being such a smart-ass! Don't listen to him! I've been listening to your thoughts since you left. 

_Hey! I feel violated!_

Oh shut up. Yume, don't listen to him! You can't even say that you think that we don't care about you. Would I be here talking to you if I didn't? 

_I don't know. I don't understand you. _

Do you want to? 

_No duh. I hate being left in the dark. _

Well if you want to be able to understand me and Kurama, you have to live through this! Look, I haven't forgotten our deal…but I'm beginning to regret it. 

_What, when you asked me to be your mate? Is that what you regret? _

No. When I said I'd never even touch you again if you won. 

_Well…oh. Yeah. I forgot about that. But, forget about that! Okay, I need to find a way to beat him. _

Can't you use your…you used up all your energy, didn't you? 

_Heh heh…uh…whoops? _

BAKA ONNA! Okay, now Kurama is looking at me weird. I yelled that out loud. 

If it hadn't been such a serious situation, Yume would have laughed.

Suddenly, the connection was lost. _Hiei? Hiei? HIEI! _

"Your friend was getting annoying." Suzaku muttered. "I could tell that you were talking to him."

Yume growled. This guy was really getting on her nerves.

"Maybe after I'm done torturing you, I'll kill your friends. One by one…or maybe when they get up here, I'll torture them in front of you, so you can hear their screams." Suzaku let out a cold, bone-chilling laugh.

Yume growled again, and started to summon up her energy from her body.

He looked down at the girl. She was glowing again. But her Spirit Energy was gone. _She's…using her Life Energy?_

Yume kicked him off of her, and powered up a Spirit Gun big enough to send King Yama to his grave. "Spirit Gun!"

The bullet hit straight-on, also blowing up the rest of the tower they were in.

Yume fell to her knees. "Ow…" her entire body was so heavy. She couldn't stay up…

Yume heard someone calling her name, and felt someone's arms wrap around her. Judging by how warm the arms were, she was guessing it was Hiei.

"Hiei…" she muttered, now on her back in his arms. She blinked, eyes half-closed.

She looked straight into his eyes, drowning in the crystalline rubies that were his eyes.

"You are…such a chibi…" she whispered, her eyes closing. "Good night…chibi…"

Her breath left her…her heart stopped for the second time…and Hiei felt the ice around his heart crack and shatter.

Kurama came up behind him, eyes sad. "She…expanded herself past her limits…didn't she?"

Hiei nodded, his fists clenching in the fabric of her shirt.

Kuwabara was shocked. "No! She can't be dead!" Kuwabara grabbed her. "Urameshi! Wake up, damn it! Wake up! You've already died on me once! I'm not gonna let you do it again!"

Kurama looked at the ground. "You…can't help her Kuwabara. She used her Life Energy to power that last blow."

Kuwabara's eyes narrowed. "Then I'll just give her some of my own!"

"Kuwabara! That could kill you!"

"Urameshi and I came into this Spirit Detective business together, and that's how we're going to come out of it!" Kuwabara knelt near Yume, his hands over her heart. "Get ready Urameshi. Cause here it comes."

Both started to glow, Kuwabara pouring half of his life energy into his best friend.

Kurama shook his head. "Well, I guess it seems we'll be carrying both of them back to Living World on our backs."

Hiei scoffed. "Like I said, baby-sitting. But what I don't get is why she gave her life for this."

Kurama smiled. "Suzaku was threatening our lives, correct? With the…Organic Humans and the Makai insects. One thing that Yume cannot stand is someone threatening her friends."

Hiei scoffed. "Baka onna."

Kurama smiled at his friend. "Don't say that, you know you care for her as well."

Hiei's only answer: "Hn. Baka kit."

Kurama blinked. "Are you calling me a baby!"

"Take it as you will, KIT."

Kurama growled. There were only two people who could ruffle his feathers. Yume, and the jerk-face in front of him. "Jerk." Kurama muttered.

"Great come back, kit."

"Stop calling me that!" Kurama yelled that just as Kuwabara fell to the ground, landing on top of the KO'ed Spirit Detective.

Kurama shook his head. "Let's get them to Living World."

Quickly, Hiei picked up Yume. "You carry Kuwabara. He's too tall for me to carry."

Kurama smirked as he threw Kuwabara on his back. "Well, I guess you're now admitting that you're short."

"Hn."


	14. Interlude One: A Momentary Weakness

Kurama: 38

Hiei: 42

Jin: 34

Kurama/Yusuke/Hiei: 48

Kurama/Yusuke/Hiei/Jin: 1

Koenma: 2

Chuu: 1

Hey guys! Sorry that I jumped off the face of the earth for a while. It may be a little while before I can update the 'Mission Yukina' chapter. So I'll see you guys later! Oh! And I'd also like to apologize if Hiei's a little OOC. I can never seem to really get him IN character. It so bites.

And cheerleading is really taking up my time right now. Also I have Harry Potter Club, Drama…so many damn things that I just wanna get rid of but can't.

I'll take down this note with the next chapter. So don't worry. AND PLEASE DON'T REPORT ME! If you report me, then this story gets taken down. That'll make me really really sad. But, just so that I don't have to worry about that, I'm going to try and make this the 'Mission Yukina' chapter as best as I can….thing is I never really paid attention to the Toguro thing…but I'll try my best. Laters!

Part Six: Waking Up 

Yume blinked, looking up at the ceiling that greeted her now-awakening eyes. "Hm?" she groaned, sitting up, holding her head. Her hair, free of its' braids, hung around her in tiny waves, making her look like a pained angel. "Where…am I?"

"Well, about time you woke up." Came Kuwabara's voice.

Said teen sat in a chair backwards, with Kurama standing against the wall.

"Where am I?" she muttered.

"You're in my room. Which you've been in for the past three days so far."

"Three days? Damn."

"School's been closed for a month due to it looking like a war zone. Oh, and I called your mom and Keiko so you don't have to worry about that."

Yume looked around the room, noticing that something was missing. Her eyes narrowed. "And what about Hiei?"

Kuwabara and Kurama stiffened and looked at the ground.

"What happened to him!" she yelled.

Kuwabara stared at the ground, eyes shut.

Kurama grit his teeth, looking out the window.

"Where is he!" she yelled, standing up and grabbing hold of Kuwabara's shirt. "You'd better do something better than just sitting there gritting your teeth!"

A sudden voice from the door startled her. "What are you going on about, Detective? I'm right here. Now lie down."

Yume looked over at the door, seeing it open, a certain pyro standing in the open doorway, carrying…a First Aid kit?

"Hiei…? But…"

Kuwabara snorted. "That was so great!"

Kurama snickered. "Sorry Yume…he insisted…" he held back a laugh behind his hand, but failed, laughing outright.

"You should have seen the look on your face!" yelled Kuwabara.

Yume growled, and would have attacked him if she hadn't suddenly found herself underneath Hiei, pinned to Kuwabara's bed.

"Hn. Baka detective. If you keep moving around, you're going to open up that wound in your side and arm."

Yume blinked, blushing brightly. She looked away from him.

She felt her shirt shift. "Hey!"

"Oh shut up. It's not like I haven't seen you shirtless before." Hiei muttered, pulling it off, revealing the bandages covering her entire torso and left upper arm.

Yume blushed harder as he removed the bandages, unwrapping the red-stained bandages slowly.

Her blush only strengthened when his hand brushed her chest a little more than necessary.

Kurama couldn't hold back the surge of jealousy that swelled in his chest.

Kuwabara had gotten up and left to get them all some food.

Kurama excused himself, saying he had to go home.

After he left, Hiei's shoulders lost their stiffness, and he seemed a little more relaxed.

He pulled the last bit of the bandage off her, and he studied the damage.

There were two lacerations, though thin, in her sides, and quite a few cuts across her breasts, and her left arm was broken….again.

Hiei shook his head, and picked up a warm washcloth, wiping it across the dried blood that had gathered around her wounds, crusting and flaking.

She squirmed. "Hiei…are you sure you should be the one doing this?"

He glared at her. "Shut up. That idiots' sister doesn't know anything about First Aid, the fox couldn't even take your shirt off without nearly fainting with the amount of blood rushed to his face. And…don't even get me started on the idiot."

Yume blushed harder, looking away from him.

"You…scared me, y'know?" Hiei muttered while he wiped away the last of the blood.

Yume blinked. "What?"

"I…I thought you were dead. Again. And I was scared."

Yume smiled softly. "So you were worried about me?"

"Yume, I told you in our mind conversation that we all care about you, some of us more than others."

Yume's smile widened. She now partially understood how Hiei spoke. You just had to look at the underlying tone in his words. This was the closest she would ever get to an 'I like you.' "Oh, Hiei. That's so sweet."

Hiei blushed, the red going across his nose and cheeks adorably.

Hiei quickly finished wrapping up her wounds, and tried to jump up and off of her, but only managed in making himself fall on her. And I mean really on accident.

Yume grunted. "Well, do you like making a habit of falling on me?"

Hiei: "Hn."

Hiei felt two warm arms encircle him, and he looked down at her.

Was she trying to hug him again?

Yume smiled, pulling him down next to her. She yawned. "Good night, Hiei." She burrowed her face into the soft fabric of his shirt, yawning cutely, her arms firmly wrapped around his hips.

Hiei blinked as Yume fell into dreamworld. He couldn't move at all. He sighed, knowing there was no escape. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, resting his cheek on her soft hair, taking in its scent. He gently kissed her hair, thankful she was asleep.

_She…smells like strawberries…and chocolate. _Hiei smiled, knowing she couldn't see it, and allowed himself to fall asleep, wrapped in the warm arms of the only girl he had ever trusted with his life.

And hopefully she wouldn't break that trust.

He would allow himself a moment of weakness…for now.

A/N: Well, there it is. That's the last update you guys are gonna get for the next…well, for a while. You can still vote people! Don't forget! PLEASE VOTE! Damn, that was the LONGEST DAMN CHAPTER I have ever written…my hands HURT!


	15. Mission 5: Maiden of Crystal Tears

Hiya! Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I fixed the double-chapter problem for the first part of the Saint Beast Saga. I'm finally able to write this because I got my hands on a bunch of ShonenJump magazines and now I know exactly what to write for the Mission: Ice Maiden Savior.

Please enjoy the chapter! I'll try to cover the entire Toguro thing for my long absence from this story. Later! And don't forget to vote!

Kurama: 38

Hiei: 42

Jin: 34

Kurama/Yusuke/Hiei: 48

Kurama/Yusuke/Hiei/Jin: 1

Koenma: 2

Chuu: 1

Oh and thanks to **Sin Lee .m.** for the idea! Thanks for the compliments! This chapter is dedicated to you!

Yusuke or Yume Chapter Fifteen: Mission 5: Maiden of Crystal Tears

Yume groaned, stretching her muscles, stiff from an afternoon nap on the school roof. This time she was donning a red version of the Sarayashiki High School uniform with a black bow and trim.

A sudden presence near her made her jump. "God! Hiei, can you be anymore silent!" she yelled at the diminutive pyro koorime.

"Hn." Was his only answer, and tossed something at her.

She caught it on reflex, and looked at it. "A video?"

"It's your next mission." He disappeared.

"Wait!" she growled. "Damn him!" She stalked down the stairs down to the main level of the school to find Kuwabara. "Hey Kuwa!" she yelled.

"Huh? Urameshi? What now?"

"Look, you have a video player right?"

"Yeah."

"Mine's broken. Can I watch this at your house?" she held up the tape in question.

"What's it about?" he asked, ever curious. Oh-so-like the kittens he kept so dear to him.

"It's my next mission. Hiei delivered it."

Kuwabara groaned. "Another one!"

"Yep. No rest for the weary. C'mon."

The two headed towards the front doors and walked straight out of the school towards Kuwabara's house.

They snuck in, hoping to avoid Shizuru, Kuwabara's cocky and sarcastic elder sister. Yume loved her to bits and admired the woman, but she wasn't up to an interview of her life right now.

The two delinquents ran up to Kuwabara's room and quickly locked the door, Yume shoving the tape into the player and turning the TV on.

A blank screen came up but then a picture of Koenma showed itself. "_Hello Yume. This is your new mission. I sent this to you via Hiei because this involves him as well. But he will not be helping you. Your mission is a rescue." _Koenma disappeared and a pretty young girl maybe Yume's age appeared.

Icy Aqua hair held back with a red ribbon, crimson red eyes and an ice blue kimono gave her a very innocent and sweet girl. Yume liked her on sight.

Koenma's voice spoke through the speakers as they looked at the pictures of a castle in a mountain hideaway flashing across the screen. "_Her name is Yukina. She's a koorime. Or an Ice Maiden. Her tears become very precious and expensive gems that could sell for an incomprehensible price on the black market. That is exactly what is happening. A man named Tarukane is holding her captive with wards and forcing her to cry to make the tear gems. We need you to get her back whole and unharmed so we can return her to the Demon Plane. The castle is located near Mt. Hiei. Hurry up and good luck. Oh and an extra note. Be extra careful with her. She's also Hiei's little sister. But she doesn't know it." _

The screen went blank again and Yume sighed.

"So Kuwabara, you with me?" she turned to him and saw his eyes were hearts. "Oh shit…" she muttered. _Here we go again…_

Kuwabara started spouting some odd-ball nonsense about saving his beloved snow girl and ran out the door.

Yume shook her head, standing up and following her idiotic rival/friend out the door and took a bus to Mt. Hiei.

Hopefully this trip wouldn't end with her almost dying…for the fourth friggin' time!

(Mt. Hiei) (_Does anybody find the humor in that besides me?) _

They left around mid-afternoon and managed to get there just a little after nightfall.

Yume blinked, staring at the marvelous house, no mansion, before them. This place was huge! It was nearly as big as her school, maybe bigger.

Decorated by marble statues of beautiful girls and well-built terraces everywhere, it was a pretty impressive sight.

Yume scoffed. "God, can't rich people ever think of anything besides showing off what they've got? It just makes them seem like show-offs and snobs…"

Kuwabara was still off in his own little world, but finally got serious. "So this is the place. Where my **heart's desire** is caged. I'M **HERE**, SNOWGIRL! I'LL **SAVE **YOU!" he screeched, going into some superhero position…that is until Yume slapped him upside the head.

"Stupid! Do you want them to hear us? God…even though I'm sure the three demons I can sense in there already know we're here after we defeated all those minor leagues." Yume paused. "And don't you think you might wanna confirm if she's here?" _Wonder what he'd think if he knew his "snow girl" is Hiei's sister? _

Kuwabara blinked. "Right. Hmmm…" he concentrated for a second. "I don't pick up anything. Those talismans we saw in the video must shield against my sixth sense. On the other hand, I'm picking up three demonic auras way stronger than the dozen we just wiped out."

Yume smirked. "Well they may be powerful, but I'm ready to take on anything. I've got my Spirit Gun Rapid-Fire down to a sweet science. You sure you're up for it, Kuwabara?" she looked back, obvious concern showing through for her friend.

"Don't worry, Urameshi. I felt new power rushing through me as soon as I recovered from my last injuries. We've gone up a level."

Both grinned at each other. "Let's go!"

The two burst through the door, breaking the damn thing down.

Gunshots were immediately fired by the human guards placed at the front entrance.

Yume and Kuwabara quickly blocked the raining bullets, infuriating the gunmen.

"Keep firing!" yelled one.

"Blast! They're fast!"

Suddenly there was nothing to hit.

The gunmen blinked in confusion while Yume and Kuwabara snuck up behind them and karate-chopped them in the backs of the neck.

"Quantity can't replace quality dudes." Yume smirked, cocky stance screaming 'Nyah-Nyah!'

Kuwabara nodded. "It's obvious when and where you're going to shoot."

The other gunmen cringed.

"Th-They're not human!" "Guns are useless against them!"

"Precisely," came a soft, female voice. "Step aside."

A blue-haired, unicorn-horned and elf-eared demoness came through the crowd of gunmen, pushing them aside.

The gunmen high-tailed it outta there and the demoness smiled softly. "Hello. I'm Miyuki. Ogre Triad Vertex One." She was dressed in a Chinese outfit that Kurama would probably wear if you forced him…though it'd make him look more like a girl than he already did.

"**HAAH!**" she screamed, aiming a fierce kick to the ground where Yume's foot had resided, but she was currently jumping through the air to avoid said assault.

Kuwabara flew off to the side and gulped. "She's a **girl**! I can't fight a girl!"

Yume gaped. "And what does that make me, you sunovabitch!"

Miyuki gave another calm smile. "That's sweet, but a mistake. Chivalry on your part does not merit mercy on my part."

"Chivalry?" Yume growled. "Never heard of it. Man or woman, young or old…you want a fight, I'll give you one." The female detective slipped into a fighting position, and muttered, "Better make sure, first."

The two rushed each other, Miyuki freezing in midair and both landing on opposite sides of the entranceway than they had started at.

Miyuki gasped, crossing arms over her chest. "Y-You impertinent whelp!"

Yume smirked. "Rude, I know. But that should give you an idea of what you're up against."

Kuwabara was confused…what else is new?

"Silence!" she screeched, jumping towards Yume in a mad dash, fist raised.

Yume rolled her eyes and punched her before the unibitch could lay a hand on her, making the girl fly into the floor quite roughly. She was out the moment her head knocked the tile.

Kuwabara stared. "You really don't care who you fight, do you?"

"Well I was maybe gonna go a little easier on a real girl…" she muttered, scratching behind her head. "But then I checked. 'She's' a demon tranny (transvestite)."

Kuwabara blanched. "You didn't!"

"On that first pass I discovered that 'her' bust was either an implant or padding…and that 'she' was packin' mighty heavy downstairs…" she grimaced. "I'm gonna hafta wash my hands with acid now."

"Incredible, Urameshi! I didn't see any of that! I'm not sure if I should be impressed or grossed out."

Yume smirked at the security camera. "Heads up, Tarukane! Two more and we're in your face!"

She and Kuwabara gave the peace sign to the camera, grinning and then running off towards the second task.

"I can't believe you! What if that'd really been a girl?"

"Then I'd've gotten some cheap thrills." She joked, and Kuwabara knew it…but still…

"Kurama'd love to hear that…" he smirked.

Yume froze and growled. "You sayin' you'd actually tell him!"

The two then froze in their pseudo-argument and flew apart.

Apparently it was too late as a large slash appeared across Kuwabara's lower arm.

A voice came out of nowhere. "Greetings. I'm Inmaki. Vertex Two."

"He's invisible, Urameshi!"

"Thanks, Captain Obvious!" She growled. "Can you pinpoint him?"

"No. he's too fast. His direction keeps shifting."

Yume screamed as Inmaki's blades cut into her shoulder, creating three long, blood-stained gashes down her uniform sleeve and tanned skin.

The two ran down the hallway and down into a dead-end hallway.

Inmaki followed them, ready to attack them again.

"Now Urameshi!" Kuwabara yelled when he felt Inmaki's presence at the entrance to the dead-end.

"Shot Gun!" Yume screamed, thrusting her energy to fill the entire opening of the hallway.

When the dust settled, a blood-stained and injured Inmaki was seen against the floor of the wall. "H-How…?"

"That cape hid you from sight, but not from my sixth sense. And you're not much to speak of once you lose the advantage of invisibility."

Yume smirked. "Once Kuwabara gave the signal, I just filled the doorway with Reiki Blasts…some of which were bound to hit."

The two turned to another camera and both held up their middle fingers. "One left, Tarukane!"

They ran down the hallway and threw open down another hallway to see the huge mountain of an ogre that was the third vertex.

Yume rolled her eyes and she and Kuwabara thrust forward, kicking him with both feet to bloody his entire face and knock him out.

"That's three!" Yume crowed.

"Your time's run out, Tarukane!"

The two ran out again tried searching the castle, running down hallway after hallway.

"I don't detect any demons…" Yume muttered, getting nervous. Something didn't feel right.

"Let's find my ice maiden and clean Tarukane's clock!" growled Kuwabara, keeping up with Yume but just barely.

He suddenly stopped. "Hey, I sense something! It's not evil. It has to be her! It has to be! I'll try to make contact with her. 'Cept, I don't know her name."

"It's Yukina…" Yume prompted.

"How do you know!"

"I watched the entire video, dipshit!"

Yukina! Can you hear me? Please, say something! 

_Who are you? _

Kazuma Kuwabara—Demon Trouncer. I'm here to rescue you.

_No! Get out of here! _

Kuwabara fell over in shock, making Yume wonder exactly what was being said over the newly-forged mind link.

_You're human, aren't you? You have no chance against the Brokers of Darkness! _

No sweat! We've already beaten 'em. Next we free you.

_That's impossible, the Brokers are right here…_the sweet and kind voice sounded really sad and remorseful.

Then they're no threat. I don't feel any powerful energy at all. Like it or not, you're getting rescued! I know where you are now. Wait for us! We're coming to get you!

Without waiting for another reply, Kuwabara ran forward, leaving Yume to try and catch up with him.

They ran through a set of open double doors, which immediately slammed shut behind them, leaving them in a wide-open arena.

At the other end stood a mountain of a man. Tan skin and army-cut black hair with sunglasses. Black tanktop accentuating muscle-man abs and black business pants. He was quite intimidating. Especially with the creeper on his shoulder.

"Welcome. You will go easy on me, I hope."

Kuwabara snorted. "The doof's got zilch demonic aura. This'll be a snap."

Yume was silent. "…No. You ask me, this guy's big trouble."

"Why?"

"Just that creepy feeling that screams 'watch it!"

The huge man smirked and threw the smaller man off his shoulder, which scrunched up into inhuman positions.

Yume was about to be sick. "He transformed into a sword!"

"Amazing transformation by my older brother, don'tcha think? Its effectiveness depends on the wielder, of course. As for me…" the huge muscles expanded to at least twice the size they had been with a single flex of his arms. "…I provide the muscle. We are one unit. We are the Toguro brothers."

Yume gulped, nearly being blown backwards by his intense aura. "God, this is bad…"

Toguro leapt forward, sword ready to strike at the two humans.

They jumped out of the way as fast as they could.

Kuwabar leaped towards Toguro but received a mind-blowing punch to the gut that sent him flying into an opposite wall.

"KUWABARA!" Yume screamed, turning to stare at her fallen comrade.

"He leapt back to escape a fatal impact…he's smarter than that poor monster, at least."

Yume growled, pointing her pointer finger at the back of his head. "YOUR TURN! SPIRIT GUN!"

It hit him point-blank in the head.

"Ha! That's for you, Freak-o!"

The smoke cleared, revealing an unharmed Toguro…albeit the smoking shield on his arm…wait…SHIELD!

"I forgot to mention…my brother has a wide repertoire of transformations…"

_And yet he says it like he was saying that he could change shirts by himself…_A scream erupted from her throat as Toguro's wide fist slammed into her chest to send her flying like a skipping stone across the arena.

"I'm a bit disappointed…" he stated. "I thought you two would provide a bit more fun…"

Toguro completely ignored Kuwabara as he tossed Yume around the room, she slammed into the floor, coughing. Blood splattered to the used-to-be-white stones.

Yukina, being held by two thugs in the spectator's box, looked away as Yume was tossed around, biting back her screams of pain.

Tarukane grabbed her chin, hurting her and forced her to look. "Keep watching! This is how it is for anyone who tries to save you! Like last time! Remember?"

She gasped, tears filling her eyes as the memories flooded back to her.

Kuwabara was quickly losing consciousness as he lay on the floor, trying to stay awake when he was suddenly hit by a barrage of images from Yukina…

_Tarukane, a butt-ugly fucker, was holding up a talisman of some sort and sneering. "I hear you ice maidens burn at the mere touch of these talismans." _

_Yukina, held by the same two thugs, panicked. "No! Please!" she screamed as he pressed the talisman to her bared arm. _

"_Cry!_ _Ha ha ha! Cry! Shed tears! Make 'em pour!" he cackled…_

The scene changed to a cell…her holding cell. A young man was standing near her, placing a tray on a table.

"_I'll get you out of here…soon, I promise." _

_She was silent, staring at him with a bewildered stare. _

_He smiled kindly at her. "I have a sister about your age…" _

The images changed again to a hallway, the boy from before was dragging her by the arm down a long hallway.

"_Todayse the day!_ _Tarukane's outta the country and the security is light." _

"_What about you?" asked the ice girl. "When they discover I'm gone…" _

"_Don't worry about that, okay?" _

_They both froze as shadows appeared before them in the shapes of Tarukane and a bunch of his gun-holding goons. _

"_Thought so…" he grunted. "Take care of him." _

_The gunmen fired, shooting nearly ten holes into the boys body as Yukina screamed and cried, the tears falling to the ground in the forms of small, perfect crystals. _

Yume was screaming on the inside from the amount of pain overriding her poor body as she was repeatedly tossed around, this time next to Kuwabara…

Toguro scoffed. "Females…so small, so fragile. I'd hoped for more from the one who killed Suzaku."

Yume growled, but Kuwabara laid a hand on her arm. "Urameshi…one thing might work."

A voice came over the speaker, drowning out Kuwabara's and Yume's conversation from Toguro's ears. **Play-time's** **over, Toguro. Kill them. Splatter them over the walls. **

"Look, I'll charge him and then you shoot me in the back with your Spirit Gun…like a booster rocket. While I'm doing that, you run and try to get to Yukina…"

"That's crazy!" Yume hissed. "You do that, you're toast!"

"Fine by me!" he growled. "I won't lose, not this way!" he turned to look at her, eyes pleading. "Please, Yume."

Kuwabara stood, Spirit Sword at the ready. He charged, yelling a loud battlecry.

Yume readied her Spirit Gun, and waited until he was close enough then fired, aiming it straight at his back.

Kuwabara was thrust forward at a higher speed, and his sword ran Toguro straight through the stomach.

While the other two thudded to the floor, Tarukane was making plans to leave. "Sakashita! Rev up the helicopter! Yukina and I are leaving. Now!"

A sudden growl made him freeze. "Turn around, fatso."

He turned to see Yume flying through the window, the glass flying everywhere as it shattered and she quickly knocked out the two goons holding Yukina to stand in front of her in a defensive position.

"No! St-Stay away!" Tarukane gasped, trying to back away.

Yume glared death at the man, and punched him as hard as she could across the face, bloodying his face up a good bit. "I won't kill you. Yukina is worth far more than your pitiful life…" she growled, wiping the blood on her skirt.

"Th-Thank you…" stuttered the young Ice Maiden. "Um…who are you?"

"Just a friend of yours." She smiled, turning around to shake hands. "I'm Yume. Your new rescuer. But I think that he could use some attention…" she pointed at Kuwabara. Compared to him, her wounds were scratches.

Yukina ran over to help Kuwabara and Yume smiled.

She stiffened when a demon energy caught her attention and she turned to the window, Spirit Gun ready. She froze when she saw Hiei lounging in a tree, watching her intently.

She lowered her hand, blinking. She waved lightly, confused.

He 'hn'ed' and disappeared

Yume turned to stare at Yukina and smiled. _Hiei's little sister, huh? I can see the resemblance…_

Their eyes were the same, and they had the same face shape. The same heart-shaped faces.

She shook her head. These missions would just keep getting weirder and weirder.

"C'mon, Kuwabara! Let's get Yukina home!"

They didn't stop to make sure that Toguro was dead…fatal mistake on their part…

A/N: There. Sorry it took so long. I hope that made up for my long absence. As you can tell, I've been working on my fight scenes to try and make them better. Tell me if I did a good job and don't forget to vote!


	16. Interlude Two: Are You Scared?

Yusuke or Yume: Interlude One: Are you scared?

Yume whistled quietly to herself, stepping out of the double doors of her school. She donned her usual black uniform with a red ribbon and stripes unlike the usual blue and yellow.

She sighed. She hadn't seen Kurama or Hiei for quite a few days now, and she was starting to feel a little…lonely.

She rounded the corner of her school entrance and froze dead in her tracks as the Human Mountain That Just Wouldn't Die, a.k.a. Toguro, appeared right before her very eyes. Completely unscathed. "Heigh. Ho. How's it going?" he asked, smirking.

"You! But…you died!" she yelled, pointing a finger at the man in shock.

Toguro ignored her and beckoned towards her with his large hand. "Come with me. We need to talk."

Yume, against all better judgment and the little voice in her head screaming 'DON'T DO IT, DUMBASS!', the Spirit Detective followed the huge demon.

Toguro led her to an almost-finished building, thankfully deserted for the day.

Toguro stood against the sunset, so that Yume wouldn't be blinded by the sunlight.

"Our first encounter…was not on the up-and-up." Toguro began, noting how she shook with fear, eyes aflame. "Thankfully, that is over and done with. Now, I'd like to discuss something personal. A secret between fighters, you might say."

Yume scoffed. "You got a point? Get to it."

Toguro eyed the young girl…her entire body was shaking. "Heh. Are you scared of me?"

"Hah!" she laughed harshly. "Don't kid yourself!"

"Tough little girl, huh? Well…your instincts know otherwise." He ripped off his cloak and summoned up his aura. "If you could learn one thing, learn to recognize danger. You are strong, and you'll get stronger. That's why I thought I'd show you…THE REAL ME. HAAAAAAAAH!" He concentrated, building up muscle mass until he was nearly twice his normal size. "It's all about muscle mass. In our fight, I was probably about 20."

Yume's eyes were the size of dinner plates, not able to stop herself from shivering and sweating.

Toguro straightened himself up and smirked. "I'm now up to about 60. I could level this building in three minutes. Wanna see?"

He suddenly disappeared from her line of vision and she gasped, trying to search for him with her limited eye sight.

Toguro appeared behind her. Without waiting for her to react, he started to talk. "In two months a tournament will be held. Wealthy humans who get their power from the dark world sponsor teams of five demons, the strongest and the most skilled. The humans do it for money and thrills. We demons do it for blood and pleasure. I extend to you and Kuwabara an invitation to compete. Refuse, and I will kill you right now. Get in shape. Your lives depend on it…as you will be fighting to the death." He finally left and Yume collapsed to the floor, trying her hardest to hold up her weight on her hands and knees alone.

_You idiot!_ She screamed at herself. You _were so fucking scared of him you couldn't even fucking move!_ "You IDIOT!" she finally screamed aloud to the empty night, not noticing Kurama and Hiei on a rooftop only three buildings down. "He's gonna kick your fucking ass!"

Toguro smirked as he heard her outburst and stared up at the two demons looking down upon him. "Ah, I see by the looks on your dismal faces that you have been invited to the tournament as well. On Urameshi's team, no doubt. Remember, those who side with humans gain no mercy."

Kurama scoffed. "Mercy has never been a variable of the bloody equations of the Dark Tournament."

Toguro shook his head. "Either way, you'll need to find yourself a fifth fighter. For your sakes, I hope you can find someone of at least meager talent."

The demon left, leaving the two pseudo-detectives in his wake.

"What is our chance?" Kurama asked his silent companion.

Hiei walked away. "Don't ask."

(Time Skip)

Genkai turned away from her television to stare at the teenage female standing on her doorstep, eyes narrowed in concentration. "Well you're back. Finally. To what do I owe this honor?"

Yume wasn't in the mood for being playful. "I need you to train me again. I need to get stronger. I have two months and that's it."

"So I see you're finally going to get serious. Even after six months of my training before. This time I won't go easy. You can't slack off like you did before."

Yume nodded. "I swear it's different this time. I'm going to give it my all."

Genkai stood, putting down her cup of tea. "Get ready for another session of Genkai Boot Camp. This time you're going to master all of what I taught you last time within 1/3 of the time limit. Let's see if you can keep up, dimwit."

See you in two months…

A/N: There. Sorry for the short chapter. But that ends the 'Missions' section of the story. Next comes 'Tournament Battle'. I'm breaking this story into different sections. Kind of like a REALLY LONG novel. I hope you guys like fights. Cause I'm working on my fight scenes. The Dark Tournament is the one that I really paid attention to. But I do need someone to help me out once in a while. If someone out there is confident enough that they know EVERYTHING about the Dark Tournament, then PLEASE give me your e-mail address in a review or e-mail about you. I'll ask for your help once in a while.

Thanks and I'll update again as soon as I can.


	17. Interlude Three: Welcome

A/N: Guys, I am sooooooo sorry. I have absolutely no excuse as to my laziness other than that. Laziness. Sorry. I'll try to keep a steady update now. Thing is, I'm having trouble remembering all of the battles and stuff. Could someone PLEASE HELP ME! I really need it! Anyone who knows about at least a few of the battles, please e-mail me. My e-mail should be in my profile. If it isn't, then just Private Message me.

Disclaimer: I do not own YYH. Thank you.

**MAJOR NOTE! PLEASE PAY ATTENTION AND READ THIS NOTE!**

Okay everyone, everyone has voted for the pairings and I've ended the polls.

The pairing for this story will be…

**Kurama/Yume/Hiei. **

I hope this meets everyone's approval and that you won't stop reading the story because of the pairing. I've decided that I'm going to try and write some little one-shots or drabbles to put in as 'Omake-Theaters' when I'm in a writer's block. I hope you all will like them. They'll be the pairings that I didn't choose for this story. And, yes, I mean ALL OF THEM.

I hope that everyone likes that. Thank you for reading.

Thank you for your time. Now let's get on with the chapter.

**Tournament Battle One: Welcome to Hanging Neck Island…**

Time passes…

Two months go by…

and the day of the Dark Tournament arrives.

The place: remote Hanging Neck Island.

Kurama sighed, staring out at the groups of demons surrounding them. Was this the best that the Dark Tournament had to offer?

The fox demon knew better than to underestimate an enemy, but all of the demons around them were arrogant, weak and, most of all, ugly as all hell.

Some were meandering about how they were going to win the Tournament and telling others they would eat their words.

Kuwabara and Hiei stood on either side of him, ready to go…except for one little factor.

"This isn't starting too well…" Kuwabara muttered. "Urameshi's late…and we never rounded up a fifth teammate."

Hiei grunted. "Never mind all that. Are _you_ ready?"

"Me? You betcha! Kurama's helped me shape up!"

Aforementioned fox demon sweatdropped. He really hadn't done much…

Kurama blinked in surprise when a midget dressed like a German pirate stepped up to the large crowd. "All aboard, everybody. Time to go."

Kuwabara gulped. "Hold it! One guest isn't here yet!"

The pirate scoffed. "Yeah? Rules say yer late, yer a refuser. We'll send assassins to deal with 'im."

A sudden tinkling laugh resounded through the clearing. "No need for that!"

The trio turned to see their fearless leader…and all their jaws dropped.

"Sorry to hold up the party." Yume laughed, running up to them as a person wrapped up head to do walked slowly behind her.

"Where ya been, Urameshi!" Kuwabara yelled, not quite over the initial shock of seeing Yume the way she was.

Her long black hair, where it used to be at her waist, was now at her knees from the two months of extensive training; slung over her shoulder and held with a black ribbon.

Kurama gulped as his eyes raked up and down the girl's form.

"Let me guess, your mother got a hold of you?" Hiei asked, trying to hide the fact that he was staring.

As was everyone else in the clearing…

Yume nodded.

She wore a black tank top that clung to her body like a second skin, accentuating her un-bound upper torso, the shirt hung loosely under her breasts, ending at the bottom of her ribs to reveal her muscled stomach that practically melted into her black Capri's, all of it ending in a pair of black no-heel leather ankle boots. A black leather jacket hung loosely around her waist where it was tied.

The demons kept staring.

"This is Urameshi? The one who beat Rando and Suzaku?"

Another nodded. "I can't believe it, that wispy little thing? That'll be easy to beat! Once we get her, we've got it made!"

Yume pretended to not hear the talk and grimaced. "Yeah…told her I was going on a trip with you guys and she decided to give me one of her old outfits and shoved it on me before I left to pick up this guy." She pointed her thumb at the red and white figure.

Hiei stepped forward. "Yume…" he muttered and she stepped back slightly before everyone saw Hiei pull out his sword and attack her.

Hiei remembered doing this before the other Dark Tournament…before all of this confusing re-living of the past four years had started.

Yume dodged every attack he sent her way, both moving so fast that hardly anyone could see them.

A demon blinked. "Aren't they on the same team? Why are they fighting each other?"

Suddenly Yume's hand caught Hiei's sword and she smirked at the kneeling fire demon. "Well Hiei I see your people skills have improved."

Hiei smirked at her and stood, sheathing his sword. "I don't know where you've been all this time, but it appears you've improved your skills a little bit."

Kuwabara's jaw dropped. "A little bit? Damn, I'd say she improved a lot of bits!"

Kurama gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't be discouraged. The fact that you were able to keep up with your eyes shows that you have improved as well."

Yume reached behind her and pulled up the masked guy, showing him to the others. "Well, here's our fifth fighter. Believe me, he'll be a lot of help." She smirked before picking up the duffel bag she'd dropped and, tossing it over one shoulder, jumped onto the barge that was supposed to take them to Hanging Neck Island.

She turned to her team mates. "Hello losers! We're supposed to be on the boat, not on land! Kurama, I know you get seasick, but PLEASE try and hold in any undigested projectiles INSIDE your sorry carcass until we land!"

Kurama turned as red as his hair and his eyebrow ticked. Okay, she was cute but why in the hell did he let her get away with saying whatever she wanted to him!

Kuwabara and Hiei turned raised eyebrows and humoured eyes in his direction. "You get seasick?" both asked in unison.

Kurama growled slightly, losing his trademark cool for a mere moment. "Foxes aren't made for the water. We can swim in it, not ON it." He stomped past his so-called friends and climbed onto the boat, seating himself besides the team leader with a weak glare.

"I hate you." He muttered and she grinned.

"Love you too, foxy." The human gave him a peace sign and then sat back, yawning as her eyes slid closed.

Mere minutes after shipping off, the odd pirate man stood up with a microphone in hand and announced that there would only be one team that would make it to the island. A fighter from each team would come up to the arena that had appeared on the ferry's top level, and fight in all-out battle royal.

Before anyone else could say anything in Team Urameshi, the masked dude stepped forward and walked onto the platform.

Kuwabara blinked. "I guess he's the one who'll fight…It'll give us a chance to see what he can do at least."

Kurama nodded but blinked, glancing at Yume and sweatdropping.

Fast asleep and snoring.

Kuwabara growled. "Urameshi! What in the hell are you falling asleep for!"

Kurama smiled. "It's her way of recuperating. She's been through two months of intense training and now her body is trying to get her up to par. She's training even in sleep. Her determination should make us all envious."

Kuwabara growled. "Whatever."

A suddenly bright light surrounded the arena and everyone looked at the arena, seeing all demons on stage knocked-out by a Spirit Shotgun.

The only one standing in the arena was the masked fighter, currently walking back to them.

The pirate glared and growled, but announced that the Urameshi Team would be the team to reach Hanging Neck Island.

Hiei sighed. That was barely worth waking up for.

Kuwabara grinned. "Hey masked fighter dude, good moves! Now how about letting us see under those bandages now?"

Fighter didn't say anything but pointed behind Kuwabara, who looked behind him to see every demon on the ship surrounding them.

Hiei growled. "It looks like they stole my idea. They'll have to pay very dearly for that."

Kurama smirked and took out his rose. "Of course."

Minutes later, every demon on the ship was either knocked out or dead; leaving the four awake Urameshi team members to stand in victory.

Hiei glanced back at Yume after watching her beat down the final demon in her sleep, screaming something about a stupid grandma, crazy old lady and knocking her back to her grave.

Hiei sweatdropped as Kuwabara exclaimed about her waking up. "She's still sleeping, moron."

The two demons gave a collective sigh and stood at the front of the ferry, watching as Hanging Neck Island loomed ever closer.

Half an hour later, the quintet stepped off the boat with Yume on Kuwabara's back, still snoring.

They stepped into the large hotel that stood in front of them, looking around in awe at their lavish surroundings.

A greasy-looking man bowed to them and smirked. "Welcome gentleman, the hotel has been expecting you. Please follow me…"

Kurama glanced around calmly, counting how many steps it was from the door to the elevator and then from the elevator to their room.

Kuwabara laid Yume on a couch and took a seat in a red plush armchair while Hiei and Kurama took another couch and the masked fighter sat on a straight-backed chair.


End file.
